Mum is left shocked after finding syringe at popular swimming spot 'just half a metre away' from where her nine-month-old son was sitting
- A mum finds a syringe at popular public swimming spot on Mother's Day
- The syringe was found half a metre away from where her infant son was sitting
- The mum posted a picture of the syringe on social media as a warning to others
A mum was left 'sick to the stomach' after finding a syringe half a metre from where her nine-month-old son was playing at a public swimming spot.
Emma Massey was celebrating Mother's Day with her boyfriend and infant son at Ross and Locke Reserve in Cairns on Sunday when they made the discovery, Yahoo News Australia reported.
'It was about half a metre away from where my son was sitting and playing in the water,' said Ms Massey. 'We were all barefoot.'
Emma Massey was celebrating Mother's Day with her boyfriend and infant son at Ross and Locke Reserve, Cairns, when they discovered a syringe
'We were both shocked at finding it and felt sick to the stomach when we realised what a close call it could have been.'
Ms Massey took a photo of the syringe by the water's edge to post on social media as a warning to others wanting to visit the Reserve, before the couple disposed of it using an empty water bottle.
After quickly looking around to see if there were any others, the family left the reserve, stating that they 'didn't feel very comfortable being there after that'.
Ms Massey took a photo of the syringe by the water's edge to post on social media as a warning to others wanting to visit the Reserve
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Other people have expressed outrage at the situation, with one stating it was 'disgusting'.
Another commented: 'What if a child stands on that – besides the risk of blood-borne viruses, that would be very painful'.
A spokesperson for Cairns Regional Council stated: 'Residents are warned to never touch syringes found in public places but rather report these directly to council so crew can dispose on the item safely'.
Failure to discard of syringes properly carried a two-year prison sentence in Queensland.
Ms Massey says the family left the Reserve after discarding the syringe, stating that they 'didn't feel very comfortable being there after that'
