Some time ago I wrote about Cavendish Street toilets or rest rooms for the occasional American visitor, to these parts, originally to point out how smelly they were. More recently I mentioned how they’d apparently been cleaned up resulting in a more breathable atmosphere.
On my last visit in January I though I saw a sharps(needles) box but one really doesn’t linger in these places so I wasn’t sure, anyway Thanet Council have issued a press release and boxes have been placed in the following locations for your convenience.
- Buenos Ayres, Margate
- College Walk shopping centre, Margate
- The Centre, Margate
- Harold Road car park, Cliftonville
- St. George's Lawn, Cliftonville
- Cavendish Street car park, Ramsgate
- Harbour Parade, Ramsgate
Its a pity that Broadstairs Birchington Westgate and Minster have been left out of this initiative, but good news for visitors and responsible users of recreational drugs, who now have somewhere to dispose of their needles.
I realise this is a serious problem but couldn’t these boxes have been placed outside doctors surgeries, where addicts ought to be receiving treatment.
I just feel that placing these boxes in our conveniences makes it all too convenient for drug addicts to continue there addiction, still if this means Thanet’s street cleaners are safer I suppose on balance its a good move.
Myself I feel that we should have a more liberal approach to drug abusers, which would cut out the need for drug users to resort to crime, still for those who need help you can contact the Kent Centre for Addiction (KCA) 01843 298355 ext. 201.
The ST George's lawn toilets have been closed for months.
ReplyDeleteBoundary Road toilets have been closed for YEARS
ReplyDeleteThey tend to throw their used needles over my hedge. NFT (Normal For Thanet) I suppose.
ReplyDeleteTDC plans to charge us for using loos in the near future so presumably the sharps boxes will then need to be left outside the few that will be kept open.
ReplyDeleteDiabetics can get sharps boxes for their own use, delivered and collected to/from home. Well, they do in Canterbury anyway.
its help addicts need most wouldnt use public toilets for their habbit We work with a lot of users at Saint Pauls and it is a problem just paid lip service by TDC and other councils I dont know what the answer is but the problem is a lot larger than people imagine
ReplyDeleteNeedle was left in a library toilet a while ago.
ReplyDeleteI think sharps bins are generally a good idea in areas of potentially high drug use, as drug users need to be secretive (due to the illegal nature of their habit) and also tend to be chaotic,so are not likely to wander down to the local surgery to dispose of their needles. They are more to protect the user of said lav from the chance of stepping on used syringes. Hopefully they have the numbers of local drugs charities on the boxes/
ReplyDeleteP-ddling is the answer
ReplyDelete