Parents have spoken of their shock after a pregnant support worker discovered a full hypodermic syringe just yards from a north-east primary school.
Carolann Calder was walking home from her mother’s house in Fraserburgh when she spotted the needle.
Concerned that touching it could put her life and that of her unborn child in danger, Miss Calder called the police.
She said: “The junkies in this town don’t have any respect and they don’t care if a child or an animal or an old person picks it up.
“It’s a disgrace that we see them around here all the time.
“I have to bring my unborn child up in this town and I work in this town. I wasn’t going to pick it up because I am pregnant.”
The needle was discovered on St Andrew’s Drive in Fraserburgh, a route which is regularly used by children walking to and from the nearby Lochpots Primary School.
It is not known whether the syringe was full of prescription medication or a pharmaceutical drug.
Father-of-one Damien McCrae added: “It’s a problem that occurs quite regularly in Fraserburgh.
“Unless something is done about it, it can and probably will lead to horrific consequences.
“I’m a father to a three-year-old boy and I worry every day about taking him outdoors as Fraserburgh is littered with used needles.”
Clare Pirie, who has a two-year-old son, lives near St Andrew’s Drive. She said: “Sadly, it’s not the first time and it probably won’t be the last time that a needle is found in the street.
“This one is only different because it was still full of whatever poison.”
Local man Paul Greenall was hospitalised after he fell on a discarded needle some years ago.
He responded: “I think it’s disgusting that this has happened and the consequences could have been fatal if a child had got a hold of it.
“I don’t like being judgmental about people, but when you see irresponsible things like this and the possibility of drastic consequences happening, it goes beyond belief.”
Last night, a police spokeswoman said: “Anyone who finds discarded drugs paraphernalia should contact the relevant local authority to arrange collection and safe disposal.”