Driver's disgust at 'drug needle' found in taxi

A taxi driver has expressed disgust at finding a syringe and needle in the back seat after dropping a fare off from Londonderry's city centre.
The syringe and needle left in the back seat of the taxi driver's carThe syringe and needle left in the back seat of the taxi driver's car
The syringe and needle left in the back seat of the taxi driver's car

The driver warned that a child or unsuspecting passenger could have found or sat on the needle, had it not been discovered inside the vehicle on Thursday.

The driver said that at around 9 pm, two women, aged in their 30s, were driven from the city centre to the Brandywell area.

“Just after I dropped them off, I went around the corner and heard something fall off the seat and hit the side panel. I got out, looked and found the needle and took a photograph of it," the driver said.

“I was disgusted because a lot of people don’t realise a taxi driver not only uses his or her car for businesses, but it is also a family car.

“If I hadn’t seen it, what if one of my kids had found it or if it had fallen down the middle of the seat somebody might have sat on it? That could have meant three months of health checks to make sure there were no blood disorders.

“In your taxi you could have people of all ages at this time of year.

“You could have hundreds of people in your car each week.”

The driver has discussed the size and style of the syringe and needle with various people and said that it seems unlikely it was used for any medical, cosmetic or fitness purpose and was most likely used for hard drugs, possibly heroin.

“I don’t think they were using it in the back of my car, and it’s not about the girls using drugs, that’s their choice, but it’s the recklessness of leaving that in the car for anybody to find or anybody to sit on,” the driver said.

The driver made certain that the syringe and needle were safely disposed of.

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