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SERVICES 
Friday, 15 February, 2002, 07:00 GMT
Syringe sweeper takes to streets
Syringes
Dumped syringes on the streets are a "major concern"
A street cleaning vehicle has been customised to sweep away syringes from the streets of north London.

The vehicle will be dedicated to hoovering up the syringes in the London boroughs of Camden, Islington and Westminster.

A hotline will be installed in the cab of the vehicle for residents to call and pinpoint where hazardous waste has been dumped.

In Camden drug use is four times the national average.


It is not nice for residents and it is a health and safety hazard

Council spokeswoman
A spokeswoman for Camden Council said the three "major drug markets" of the West End, Kings Cross and Camden Town would be targeted by the vehicle.

"We get a lot of drug paraphernalia on the streets.

"It is a major concern for residents and a major concern for us.

"It is not nice for residents and it is a health and safety hazard.

"This will be a much quicker and much more effective service. They will be going around hot spot areas cleaning them up."

The spokeswoman said the vehicle had been kitted out with special cylinders to collect the needles, safety equipment and a high pressure hose for cleaning.

The Drug Action Response Team (DART) has been funded by Camden Drug Action Team, Camden's Community Safety Partnership, as well as the King's Cross partnership and The Lilac Project.


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See also:

07 Nov 01 | England
Office workers warned in drug crackdown
07 Nov 00 | UK
Britain 'winning drugs war'
14 Dec 98 | UK
Warning over junkie litter
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