A FRUSTRATED mother has criticised the council for failing to remove potentially harmful syringes with 'pink fluid' after more than two weeks.

Sally Uddin says she found three needles on Swansea Road in Caversham and contacted Thames Valley Police and Reading Borough Council.

The mother-of-three is concerned her 17-month-old son, who is just starting to walk, could be at harm if the syringes are not removed.

She said: "We found these syringes with a weird pink fluid in them more than two weeks ago and they are still there.

"I have seen them before in the road and when I phoned the police about it they did not seem to care.

"A couple of months ago I rang the council about a similar incident and it was more than a week before it was moved."

The 41-year-old lives at the bottom of Swansea Road with her husband Siraj.

She claims the problem with needles is not a new issue in her area, after finding several syringes on the street next to her house.

Mrs Uddin added: "My biggest concern is we do not know what the substance is and a child could easily come along and play with it.

"I have got three children and a little boy who is only 17 months old. He is just starting to walk and he could have picked it up and played with it.

"I know it is not possible for the council to stop people from taking drugs, but they need to respond quicker to stop something bad from happening. I am so frustrated by the lack of urgency."

A spokesman for Reading Borough Council explained: "We are sorry to hear Ms Uddin appeared to have difficulty reporting discarded used syringes near her home.

"As soon as we were made aware of the location of the needles a member of the Streetcare team was sent out to collect them.

"We would normally respond to reports of discarded syringes on public land on the same day and we would encourage any residents who discover such items to report them."