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Volunteers report rise in used needles and drug paraphernalia being dumped in Folkestone
06:00, 24 March 2020
A street cleaning team of volunteers say the number of used injections, some with blood still in them, being found in streets and places in Folkestone continue to rise.
The paraphernalia has been discovered in both St Michael's Street and in Radnor Park by the team from the Folkestone Town Sprucer project.
Tasked with keeping the district clean and tidy, the volunteers have noted a rise in the amount of drug equipment being left on the streets.
Project manager Peter Philips, 59, said: "We have had a massive rise in dirty needles of late.
"We picked up 30 in one day. The next day we uncovered a drug den in lower Radnor Park."
If they find the potentially hazardous needles, the volunteers, mostly people seeking employment, alert Mr Philips who places them in a safe box before disposing of them at a pharmacy.
But it's not just abandoned needles the task force are noticing on their daily cleans.
KentOnline previously reported on the rise of vandalism and graffiti in Folkestone.
Mr Philips said: "All it takes is a handful of yobs to make our town look bad.
"Cleaning up other people's acts of vandalism cost taxpayers considerably, it can run in to hundreds of thousands of pounds a year to clean up.
"It can have a very real effect on the appearance of the neighbourhood and on people's perception of how safe they feel.
"Crime such as this also has an adverse affect on regeneration as it discourages investment in certain neighbourhoods and people choosing to come and live in certain areas."
The Sprucer project, created by the late David Taylor, is run by the Sunflower House charity and relies on donations and grants.
This month the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust (RDHCT) donated £10,000 to ensure their work cleaning, weeding and tidying Folkestone continues.
Sunflower House chairman of trustees Alex MacLaren said: "This substantial donation will help ensure the future of this quirky, unique and popular project.
"It is a serious commitment we are grateful for their continued support."
Mr Philips added: "Over the last few years the support of the RDHCT has been crucial in helping us get through tricky times, especially the loss of our late founder David Taylor and the departure of the founder trustee Raili Taylor.
"Without that support the project would have been at significant risk, so we are endlessly grateful, and we look forward to a continuing association, as we make Folkestone a better place for all of its ‘Folke’!"
During the coronavirus pandemic, volunteers will no longer be meeting daily.
