Edinburgh mum calls for action after used needles left near Cowgate nursery for hours

An Edinburgh mum is calling for more action after claiming used needles dumped near a Cowgate nursery were still there more than five hours after she first reported it.

The woman, who did not want to be named, found used syringes and needles (pictured) just yards away from the Cowgate Under 5 building in Tron Square.

She reported the find to the city council at 9am but said the paraphernalia was still lying there when she walked past with her dog at about 2:30pm.

The needles were cleared away before 3pm.

The used needles and syringes were found this morning close to a nursery. Pic: contributed.

The woman, who says she regularly finds used needles in the square, described the situation as “shocking.” She said: “Does a child have to fall on them (needles) before someone stands up and takes any notice?

“I’ve got a three year old daughter who runs about in Tron Square and I don’t known what she is going to fall on. Lots of kids play in that area.”

The mother says she has made “countless” calls to the council and community police about the issue, as well as to her local MP.

But she said police told her they can’t do anything about it unless they catch someone carrying out a criminal act.

She added: “I see them sitting and injecting in the street. The needles just get flung in the street but a lot of the time it’s happening at night.

“I just think police and the council should do something to fix it because it’s just getting passed back and forth between them.”

An Edinburgh City Council spokeswoman said: “When hypodermic needles are found and reported to us we will ensure that the environment is made safe as a priority. We can confirm that these needles have been removed.”

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “We treat all drug offences with the utmost seriousness and work closely with a range of partners to not only carry out enforcement activity in relation to drug crime, but to assist in signposting people with drug and substance addiction problems to the appropriate support services mechanisms.

“Whenever local policing teams are made aware of public areas where needles and other drug paraphernalia are found, we will conduct robust inquiries to identify those responsible and liaise with City of Edinburgh Council to ensure these are collected and disposed of safely.”

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