AN?Abergavenny father has called on Monmouthshire County Council to clean up Bailey Park after finding a stash of used needles and other drug paraphernalia lying on the ground in the well used park. The local man who has asked not to be identified in the Press, said he came across an assortment of needles and drug boxes strewn across the floor behind the bowls pavilion several weeks ago, and despite reporting it to the council, the collection has not only not been cleared but has increased in size. The concerned father told the Chronicle, "To have such dangerous items in Bailey Park is unacceptable. I have young children, and this makes me think twice about taking them there. "Young children are forever picking things up, and if something happened to my children or another child and I did not speak out I would never forgive myself. "This mess needs to be cleaned up urgently, and the problem needs to be addressed." The waste left by drug users in public spaces can present a danger to people and, as with all cases of waste left indiscriminately in public places, it is down to the local authority to dispose of it. Recreation Officer for Monmouthshire County Council, Tim Bradfield said, "Given the obvious danger to the public, our team reacts quickly to reports of drug waste. "We responded promptly to a recent report from a member of the public about needles and other drug-related waste left in Bailey Park. "Sadly this is a recurring problem and it looks now as if similar material has been left in the same area.  "I have asked staff to return today (Tuesday) to check and ensure no needles or dangerous debris are present." He continued, "We are planning to cut back many of the shrubs and the overgrowth in the area in question  to allow greater visibility, as well as discourage any illegal activity. We will also install metal fencing across the entrance to prevent pedestrian access to the side of the pavilion. "Both the council and the Friends of Bailey Park work closely with the local police community support officers and we will ask them to ensure that this part of the park is included on regular patrols". The work put in so far by the police to stop the number of people using drugs in the park has been recognised by the Friends of Bailey Park, but they agree that more needs to be done to eradicate the problem completely. Shirley Barnfield a member of the group said, "We have noted that drug use in the park has been a problem over the years. The community support officers have been extremely helpful in keeping an eye on the area, and with the introduction of CCTV the problem has reduced. "However, despite not seeing this collection of needles myself, I am aware that the problem is still evident, and we therefore need to ensure that the park is thoroughly patrolled to stop the problem of drug use in the park. "Those who offend here are clearly getting more wise to the police presence and the CCTV and they are now doing it out of sight, but we will work with the PCSOs to try and reduce this further. "We have had some trouble lately with vandalism in the sensory garden and we have even had faeces being deposited in the park but we are working closely with the police to try and stop this, and we will also have to make an extra effort to stop the drug users coming and doing it here, to make the park safe for families." Gwent Police told the Chronicle that the local team has been asked to increase the amount patrols in the area to help reduce this problem, and keep the park safe and free from drugs. A spokesperson for the police said, "Officers will continue patrols in the area and ask that anyone with concerns about drug activity in their local area reports it to 101 so the appropriate action can be taken."