A shocked dog walker was forced to clear five used drug needles from a path leading directly to a primary school.
Marie Johns, 50, was walking her pet in the Highfield Street area of Rock Ferry yesterday afternoon when she made the grim discoveries.
She said she found a total of five used drug syringes in a small area.
Marie said two of the needles were in the grounds of the Highfield Church, but three were on a pathway that is regularly used by pupils at the nearby St Anne's Catholic Primary School.
Ms Johns works in the NHS and fortunately always carries surgical gloves with her when walking her dog in case she needs to clean up mess.
She used gloves to safely collect the five bloodied needles and took them to a nearby chemist for them to be safely disposed of.
Ms Johns, who lives in the area, said: "I have seen bits of foil in this area before - I know it is somewhere that people gather at night.
"But this was the first time I have seen any needles and I was really shocked to see five of them just lying there.
"Two were in the grounds of the church, but three were on the walkway, which is used every day by young children who are walking to and from St Anne's Primary School next to it.
"I was there in the afternoon and the school was about to finish - there would have been children walking along there shortly after."
As well as clearing the needles away - Ms Johns alerted the school and has also messaged the church to inform them of what she found.
She also shared an image of one of the needles on local community facebook groups in a bid to warn parents of the potential dangers in the area.
