Town councillors have expressed shock after a used syringe was spotted by a passer-by in a bin opposite Newtown High School.

Council teams were called out to deal with the incident near shops in Garth Owen after town and county councillor Joy Jones received a phone call from a shocked member of the public on Saturday.

Cllr Jones said she received a call from a worried member of the public and advised them to call the local authority.

“This has become a serious problem and needs to stop – it’s up to individuals if they want to use such things but they shouldn’t inflict their dirty habit on the rest of the public. I was contacted regarding this last incident for advice how to deal with it and thankfully it was quickly resolved,” she said.

“It is extremely worrying that once again there has been another syringe found in Newtown. This time it was put in one of the street bins but in recent months there has been used syringes found on top of bins or on the streets and public areas.

“A major worry is that children can be very inquisitive and don’t always understand the danger. It is a worry for dog owners as dogs have no idea not to pick them up.

“This causes a great deal of concern as we don’t want to see anyone hurt by discarded syringes.”

Members of the public praised the council for their speedy action to resolve the incident, after the authority posted a brief statement on social media confirming that their street cleaning teams had disposed of the items.

“Our Street Cleansing team in Newtown had to respond rapidly on Saturday night to reports of a used syringe being left in public litter bin by the shops in Garth Owen,” said the statement.

“Such irresponsible disposal of potentially hazardous waste materials are a clear risk to public health and safety.

“Our staff have now removed the offending items and disposed of them professionally.”

The incident comes during a spate of reports of drug paraphernalia found around the town.