When his hand touched a used syringe hidden in his car door handle, there was just one thought on Steve Cross's mind.

“For the first hour, I kept looking at my hand, asking myself, ‘did it prick me?’

"I was a bit shocked. I picked it up and threw it down the drain.”

Mr Cross, of Prince of Wales Terrace, Deal, made the discovery when he found the used syringe tucked behind the driver’s door handle of his Citroen Berlingo van parked in Beach Street.

He said: “I park my car by the bingo hall. I was going to work. I went to open my door and felt something touch my finger, so pulled my hand out quickly. A needle fell out on the floor."

He reported it to the council.

The mechanic, who works for DH Empire Motors in Dover, posted a picture on Facebook which was shared by more than 1,500 people and prompted comments such as “disgusting” and “scary”.

He said: “I just want to make people aware. People have to be cautious of the smallest of things.

“Something so minor like opening your car door, and you could so easily catch a disease.

“What people do is their own personal preference, but when they start littering the beaches and putting needles under car handles then it becomes a danger to others" - Celeste Bell

“Deal is supposed to be a nice seaside town. You don’t expect anything like this.”

“There’s got to be some kind of malice there for someone to do something like this.”

As well as wanting to make people aware, the former Sandwich Technology pupil also has a message for those discarding the syringes.

He said: “If you’re going to do that type of thing, at least dispose of it correctly.”

Two days later, three-year-old Ryan Bailey, of Birdwood Avenue, picked up a used syringe on Deal beach.

His mother, Celeste Bell, said: “We just went for a walk along the seafront and my son went on the beach.

“I saw him with something in his hand. He asked what it was.

“As I got closer, I realised it was a needle and shook it out of his hands. My friend got a piece of paper and picked it up and put it in the bin.

“It’s disgusting. It’s not what you expect to see when you’re out for a walk.”

“What people do is their own personal preference, but when they start littering the beaches and putting needles under car handles then it becomes a danger to others.

“Just be aware that this is happening in our town and keep your eyes peeled. You can never be too careful.”

A spokesman for Dover District Council said: “If anyone finds a syringe in a public place, they should report it to the council immediately by calling the waste team on 01304 872428, or out of hours on 01304 821199, and it will be removed as a matter of urgency.

“If people have concerns about community safety issues, they should call the Community Safety Team on 01304 872220, or contact police on 101, or 999 in an emergency.”