A MOTHER has spoken of her fears for her little daughter’s health after she was injured while picking up a drug user’s needle in her school playground.

The Leader revealed yesterday how two syringes were found in the grounds of St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Lea Road, Wrexham, on Tuesday morning.

The second was picked up by a young girl, now identified as three-year-old Grace Howarth from the Whitegates area of Wrexham.

The school called in the police after the incident.

It was not immediately clear whether Grace had been injured but her mother, Charlotte Williams, got in touch with the Leader to say: “Charlotte has a puncture to her left wrist which I am sure must have been caused by the needle.

“We took her to Wrexham Maelor Hospital’s accident and emergency department straight after it happened.

“She has two marks just above her wrist. The upper one is a scratch and lower one is a puncture mark.

“She was given an injection against hepatitis B and she will have to have two more over the next three months.

“This is very distressing for a three-year-old. I asked her if the needle had gone into her and she said that it had but she said to me, ‘don’t worry mummy, it didn’t hurt’.”

Charlotte added: “I know that two needles were found in the grounds that morning and I am very concerned that after the first one, the school didn’t warn children not to pick anything up that they found.

“If Grace has picked up a disease from the needle it will affect her for the rest of her life.

”I will be arranging a meeting with the headteacher and looking for an assurance that my daughter is safe to return to the school.

“I hope I can get that because she likes being there very much.”

Headteacher Kathy Jones said: “The school followed the correct procedures and the child was referred for medical attention as a matter of routine precaution.

“Parents have been informed about the incident in the school’s newsletter today.”