A mother whose son pricked himself with a suspected drug user's needle has spoken of her fears for his health.
Several needles, thought to be discarded by drug users, have been found in the Orchard Road area of Burnham - one of which pricked five-year-old Owen Stokes' finger.
His mum Karen rushed Owen to hospital for blood tests for HIV and hepatitis and now faces an agonising four-month wait to see whether he has contracted either disease.
She said: "When he found the needle, it sent us into a panic and then we noticed the prick in his finger," she said.
He has since had further tests at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford.
The mum-of-three has applied for her family to be moved and along with neighbours has been patrolling the area getting rid of needles to avoid youngsters picking them up.
Several more have been discovered since Owen pricked himself last Tuesday.
On Monday, a group of residents, including Miss Stokes, went to Moat Housing Group's offices in Heybridge and refused to leave until someone had spoken to them about the problem.
Marilyn di Cara, of Moat Housing Group, said: "We have been informed about the problems and are looking into how we can rectify the residents' issues."
Published Thursday July 29, 2004
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