A MOTHER has told of her horror when her two-year-old daughter was just a moment away from pricking her finger on a used hypodermic syringe.

The 37-year-old, who asked not to be named, said she found the syringe on a low wall behind shops in the Walmgate area of York, at the entrance to flats in Long Close Lane.

Her young daughter was walking along at her side trailing her hand along the wall, and had to be grabbed by her mum to stop her from cutting her finger on the potentially-lethal object.

"I couldn't believe it, she was that close to touching it, it really frightened me, then I got really angry about what could have happened," said the mother.

"I went past the wall on the way to the shops and it was fine, then came back from the post office and there was the syringe.

"You can see several other ones as well, where they have tried to kick them down the drain, but this one was just there, open and dangerous, for anyone to find, the actual needle is not even covered and it's clearly been used.

"I just can't believe how selfish they are."

The two-year-old's grandmother said: "I couldn't believe it either. I am shaking even now, it really gets to you, it's utterly disgusting, it really is.

"They have no thought for anybody else, it was just near the old people's home, so there are all those elderly people there, as well as little babies like ours, but all these people can do is think of themselves. We had to get the needle moved for the sake of safety."

The needle, complete with a soft drink can base used to prepare the drugs, was disposed of by City of York Street Cleansing Services.

A spokesman said: "We do collect the needles as soon as we can when they are reported to us. And we are working with Safer York Partnership and Compass (a drug rehabilitation agency) to try to combat the causes of these problems." City centre ward manager PC Howard Smelt-Webb said: "We are working on a range of issues with other agencies in the city to combat problems in the Walmgate area.

"But the simple fact is that a person who has left a needle in such a dangerous place to the public is clearly completely irresponsible."

Anyone who finds discarded needles should phone Compass on 01904 647474 or City of York Council on 01904 636000.

Updated: 13:55 Thursday, October 30, 2003