IT seems rather late in the day, but is nevertheless very welcome. A new free service to pick up discarded drug needles is long overdue when you consider the scale of the problem over the last few years and the serious incidences of children being injured by them.

The terrible spectre of HIV is currently hanging over two Westhoughton youngsters who just days ago pricked themselves on syringes dumped by junkies.

And residents of several local areas have long campaigned to try to get something done about the widespread problem of discarded needles.

The £30,000 one-year trial paid for by Bolton Council and Wigan and Bolton Health Authority will please parents and communities generally. Equally sensibly, the scheme involves drug education and training.

It is a sad indication of the further self-obsession of those who take drugs regularly and to excess that they need to be helped to dispose of their needles safely.

Society has long accepted that drug abusers can only be helped if they want to be. Unfortunately, it is often down to local communities to clear up after them, to protect the young from harm.

Hopefully, this new scheme will herald the start of better "habits" by some drug users. We suspect, however, that society will continue to foot the bill for a minority whose only focus is personal pleasure, and to hell with everyone else.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.