Child injured by discarded hypodermic needle on Isle of Man

The needles had been discarded on the edge of the school grounds

A seven-year-old child has been treated at hospital for a puncture wound after finding a bag of used hypodermic needles at a school on the Isle of Man.

Police said the bag had been "carelessly discarded" in the grounds of Henry Bloom School, which is adjacent to Douglas ambulance station.

The child was taken to Noble's Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.

The school said daily checks of the grounds were being increased as a result of the incident.

The items were found in an area next to a public footpath, which was not accessed by the children during the school day, it added.

Police have urged anyone who uses the needles to discard them responsibly.

'Reckless'

An Isle of Man Constabulary spokesman said the incident had caused "untold worry and concern to the family of the child".

He said: "The unknown person responsible for this has recklessly discarded these needles without any thought for anyone but themselves nor about the dangers of discarding used needles in an area where children are known to be.

"We are appealing to all users of hypodermic needles to use clinics or specialist sharps bins to safely and properly dispose of your used needles."

In conjunction with the education department, community officers were now visiting schools in the area and liaising with parents to highlight the dangers needles could pose, he added.

In an online statement, the school said: "Although the grounds are checked daily, we are upping the frequency of our checks as the safety of our pupils is always a priority.

"These needles were found in an area that is next to a public right of way and we would hope that parents would share any relevant information with the police about who may have dumped them on the premises."