“Courtney-Leigh came running in and said, “Mum, I have just found needles,” Cheryl told the Evening Telegraph. “At first I thought she had touched them. A wee touch, a wee jab and she could have caught anything.”

She said she was particularly concerned for her niece, because she has not yet started school, and she feared the younger child wouldn’t understand the danger of what she had found. Cheryl immediately reported the find to the multi’s concierge.

She added, “Even the concierge was shocked because there were so many, and said they would get it cleared up,” she said. The full “sharps bin” was lying next to an unused needle, containers with traces of heroin and cotton wool balls, as well as what appeared to be human excrement.

The concerned mum said, “The kids could have got heroin on their fingers, or anything,” potentially spreading the risk to Courtney-Leigh’s two-year-old sister Rheanna.

Cheryl, of Hilltown Terrace, said the area used to be checked regularly by the multis’ concierges and Community Safety wardens, but she had not noticed any activity recently.

Courtney-Leigh herself told the Tele she was playing with Sherie when she made the grim find.

Fortunately, she recalled advice from a local police officer who had visited her school, so she knew she must not under any circumstances touch the needles.

“It was on the grass, the bit where the children play and stuff,” she said. “There was a needle not opened and a bottle (the sharps bin) with needles poking out.”

Worryingly, Courtney-Leigh told the Tele it is not the first time she has found a needle while out playing. On a previous occasion she reported the find to the concierge herself, she said.

A police spokesman urged anyone who finds needles or drugs paraphernalia to get in touch with their local disposal units. He said, “If anyone has any concern in the community or if they see any incidents of drug misuse they should contact the police immediately.

“The force advises anyone who finds needles to report them to the council’s waste management team on 01382 433063, or their local community safety warden by calling 01382 436333. Outwith office hours these matters should be reported to the police on 0300 111 2222.”

A council spokesman said, “The council has no record of any complaints from either residents of Dallfield Court or members of the public about a problem with needles in this location over the weekend.

“However, since we were made aware of it, the council’s rapid response team has been sent to tidy up.”

He reiterated police advice to contact the team direct if similar situations arise in the future.

Local councillor Jimmy Black said the local authority hopes soon to announce a new strategy to deal with the disposal of addicts’ needles.

In the meantime, he appealed to drug users to be more responsible.

The weekend find was a timely reminder for the council, highlighting the urgency of finding a solution to the problem, he added.

“I am really disappointed people should behave in this way and put children’s lives at risk,” he said. “The council has a working group which is looking at the problem of needle disposal, and trying to find a way to make it possible for drug users to dispose of their needles safely.

“We are not quite there yet, but we hope to have developments to announce soon.

“However, there is no excuse for leaving needles which may be infected with HIV or hepatitis in an area where children are likely to find them,” he continued.

“Of course, children being children will seek out hidey-holes and hidden places to play, and that’s exactly where drug users may be stashing their paraphernalia.

“People tend to talk about drug users as if they were no longer human, but if any child had been scratched or hurt I think most users would be horrified to think they’d led to the infection of a small child with something like hepatitis or HIV.”