FAMILIES with children are finding needles dumped near a Prestwich hotel where homeless people have been housed during the coronavirus crisis.

Neighbours claim to have witnessed drug taking outside the Fairways Lodge in which is being used as a temporary facility to accommodate rough sleepers.

Around 30 needles were found at neighbouring Prestwich Golf Course in just one day earlier this week.

Lucy Salem lives in Norwood, a couple of doors down from the hotel in George Street, with her husband and two-year-old son.

She said: “My little boy plays on there. It’s a very scary place to be because they’ve been doing drugs in the bushes and on the golf course.

“This totally isn’t the right environment for them. There are so many children who live in the area and people are scared.

“As if coronavirus wasn’t enough to worry about. Kids are having to witness junkies stumbling in the street – and there are fights as well.”

The 33-year-old struggles to sleep at night as she watches the golf course.

She said activity has gone down since a sign went up warning people off the golf course and threatening offenders with eviction.

But she fears families will find used needles elsewhere in the area now.

She said: “We’re now worried that they’re doing this in broad daylight in the street instead.

“We don’t understand why they’re dumping them outside because they’ve got sharps bins at the hotel.

“There are security staff there, but I don’t know whether they’ve been trained to deal with these sort of people.

“I’m on my own a lot of the day because my husband’s working still and I feel really vulnerable. The last thing I want to do is push my pram down the street.

“There’s quite a big group of them in there. I feel sorry for them – but at the same time, I just have this desire to protect my family and my friends and the community. We are all stuck at home and we are seeing it day in day out.”

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham was asked what is being done to tackle the problem at a remote press conference on Wednesday.

He said: “We fully understand residents’ concerns and we also recognise that there is more to be done to support people in hotel or single-room accommodation who have addiction issues or mental health issues.

“This is a new service, we’ve stood it up within a matter of weeks but we are working hard to deal with the issues that arise from that.”

The emergency accommodation has been jointly commissioned by councils in Manchester and Bury.

Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese said the two local authorities are working with Greater Manchester Police to resolve any issues.

He said: “We will ensure that people do behave in a way that’s appropriate to a residential area if they wish to continue to stay there but at the same time through the mental health trust and public health services that we do have a suite of support for people with drug and alcohol abuse problems and we will try to ensure that the people who need it get that support.”

A Bury Council spokesman said: “We have become aware of some issues and concerns reported by the community and we are reacting and investigating all reports as soon as possible.

“We have a partnership approach with all appropriate agencies and stakeholders to help support the rough sleepers at Fairways Lodge to help prevent any possible problems during these challenging times.

“We would like to reassure the community that we are taking all reports seriously and reacting immediately when we become aware and every effort will be made to continue to respond as quickly as possible.

“We also have a duty to assist and support these vulnerable and complex individuals during these challenging times.

“There is also an enhanced rough sleeper outreach provision in the area to try and prevent and react as quickly as possible to any inappropriate behaviours in the community.

Residents who wish to contact Bury’s homelessness team regarding Fairways Lodge should use email HAT@Bury.gov.uk.