An Edinburgh engineer who works on the capital's streets installing network cables fears for his safety while working in Leith due to 'near misses' from used needles.
The fibre infrastructure worker most recently took a picture of needles while working at a box on Laurie Street and told Edinburgh Live that the problem is a Leith-wide issue.
Despite always wearing the appropriate work gear, the engineer is concerned that a hard hat and steel toe boots won't protect him from 'a needle stabbing into his wrist' calling the area a hotspot for the risk.
Many of the needles are often discovered underground in the dark, with engineers expected to work around them while often 10ft deep.
He told Edinburgh Live: "It's a Leith issue to be honest as I've built the majority of the network throughout Edinburgh and it's always Leith where you find them.
"There's a box outside the addiction centre and they go and get their needles safely but somehow the addicts are disposing of them incorrectly."
"It's very worrying, some of these holes we go in are 10ft deep. It's dark and even with a head torch you can only see what's in front of you."
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Cllr Karen Doran, Environment Vice-Convener, said: “Discarding of needles like this is very irresponsible.
"We’d encourage anyone coming across needles in public places to use the ‘report it’ section on our website to make us aware and we’ll make sure it’s cleaned up as soon as we can.”
