OW that a disgusted York resident has complained about the discarded needles to be found all over the city (April 14), readers can hear of my life at the sharp end of needle collection.

Since 1996 my team of street sweepers have had to clear needles from the city centre streets. Every needle we collect is recorded and the findings are passed to the relevant agencies.

In the nine years that I have been collecting needles, I have never charged anyone for the service, and I don't think anyone has had a needle on their property for more than an hour.

As for the claim that there are hundreds of needles scattered around the city, I doubt that. I check known hot-spots every week. If there are new hot-spots, why has no one alerted us?

Miss Scott says the council don't clear up drug sites very well. Let me enlighten her to some hard facts.

Would you collect and clear up drug users' litter? Would you happily have a nurse stick a needle in your backside then wait a few months for the result of an HIV test, not knowing if you had the disease or not because some druggie had stuck a needle in your hand when he was spaced out?

Would you clear blood, urine, faeces and other bodily fluids off the walls of public and private buildings?

Outreach workers have been told that collecting needles is beyond their remit. What about me and my team, is it beyond our remit? If we thought it was, who would collect them?

Thankfully we don't take that attitude, we are all highly-trained by our health and safety unit.

So, Miss Scott, there you have it - do you still think we do a terrible job?

PR Willey,

Burnholme Drive,

Heworth, York.

Updated: 10:37 Tuesday, April 19, 2005