Needle near Peterborough primary not collected for three weeks

A needle spotted near a Peterborough primary school was not collected for three weeks.
The needle found near West Town Primary AcademyThe needle found near West Town Primary Academy
The needle found near West Town Primary Academy

The dangerous object remained outside West Town Primary Academy on the corner of Thorpe Road and Midland Road despite being reported to the city council.

Fiona Henry, one of three mothers behind the Needless Needle campaign, alerted the council to the object, but found the wait to collect it “very frustrating.”

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The mum-of-three said most needles are collected quickly, but on another occasion a reported needle outside East Community Centre in Padholme Road took five days to be collected.

Bernadette Gibbons, Fiona Henry and Kirsty Hadfield with their petition against needles being found around the city. EMN-180221-155126009Bernadette Gibbons, Fiona Henry and Kirsty Hadfield with their petition against needles being found around the city. EMN-180221-155126009
Bernadette Gibbons, Fiona Henry and Kirsty Hadfield with their petition against needles being found around the city. EMN-180221-155126009

The campaign is calling on the council to reduce the amount of discarded needles after the mothers saw how bad the problem had become. So far, a petition has received 450 signatures, 50 short of triggering a debate at the council.

Fiona said: “It will be nice to see an issue the entire council chamber can come together to agree on. The public response has been really good.”

A council spokesman said the authority attends all calls on needles within a short period of time, even out of hours.

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He added: “Reported needles are not always found straight away and, in these two instances, we were initially unable to find the needles reported to us. Needles were removed from these locations once further descriptions of where they were located were obtained.”

Discarded needles can be reported by calling 01733 747474 or via the MyPeterborough smartphone app. Photos can be emailed to [email protected].