USED syringes and other dangerous items used by injecting drug users are scattered among piles of rubbish in public areas of Bournemouth.

Burnt tin foil and stericups - single use spoons used by drug users - lie among litter near the town’s Dalkeith Steps.

The items are easily accessible to members of the public and are in clear view of the thousands of visitors to the town who use the Richmond Gardens multi-storey car park.

Anyone using the lift or steps in the car park to access the town centre would have to walk past the discarded items.

Further down the lane are more items of litter including beer cans, pieces of metal, cardboard, polystyrene and even a large wooden weaving frame.

The concrete steps and the tarmac pathway from shops in Old Christchurch Road to the Richmond Gardens car park are the responsibility of Bournemouth council.

A spokesman said the area is regularly checked for rubbish and maintained as necessary.

But the area underneath metal steps leading up to the car park itself is part of the Richmond Gardens shopping centre.

Matthew King, community enforcement manager at Bournemouth council said: “We work closely with private land owners to clear waste and needles from their land as quickly as possible using enforcement powers, where necessary, to help to ensure the safety of occupants and members of the public.

“In these circumstances, our team link in with numerous other services and partners, including the police, to try to address problematic areas and prevent ongoing issues.”

The issue of discarded drugs paraphernalia, broken glass and rubbish in the area of Dalkeith Steps was highlighted by the Daily Echo in January last year when Bournemouth’s street services manager Stuart Best said he would work with the owners to make the situation safe.

It was one of the areas later tackled by a team of volunteers who conducted a spring clean of the town centre.

Organised by the Bournemouth Town Centre BID (Business Improvement District), the Big Bournemouth Clean Up saw around 40 helpers work their way down Old Christchurch Road, through the Square, and up to the Triangle and Poole Hill, targeting side streets and alleyways along the way.

Thirteen large bin bags of litter, including needles, bottles, and cans, were collected at Dalkeith Steps. Before the clean-up residents had refused to use the footpath because of the dangerous litter.

BID manager Steve Hughes stressed that visitors to Bournemouth should get a good first impression.