A mum who found a used needle in council toilets in Herne Bay says she would rather change her one-year-old son outside than use the town’s public loos.

Mother-of-five Jean Roberts, of Talmead Road, was changing her son in the council-run toilets next to the town’s swimming pool when she spotted the needle by a sink.

Miss Roberts, 30, alerted council officials immediately but says she won’t return to public loos.

She told the Gazette: “I had my three-year-old daughter and one-year-old son with me and I was changing my son.

“As my daughter was just about to wash her hands, I noticed a used needle behind the tap.

“It was a dirty, rotten needle and if my daughter had put her hand down it would have got her, no doubt about it" -Jean Roberts

“My friends have said they don’t use the toilets and would rather change their babies on a park bench than take them into toilets in Herne Bay.

“I am not using any public toilets in Herne Bay at all and many friends have said they would rather go into cafes or change outside.”

Miss Roberts found the needle last Tuesday.

She added: “I have never seen anything like it in my life. I didn’t get a picture of the needle. I wanted to get out of there.

“It’s disgusting and it’s not an uncommon thing which it should be.

“I am so lucky I turned around that second and saw it, it made me really think how lucky she was.

“If they don’t do something about it the next person might not be that lucky; it’s just not fair on the parents.”

City council spokesman Rob Davies said the incident was a “sad reality”.

He said: “We were concerned to hear of this incident.

“It is a sad reality that public toilets will, on occasion, be used for drug taking.

“Our toilets are visited several times a day for cleaning, but they are not attended 24 hours a day, so there is the potential for people to use needles in between cleaning visits.

“Our toilets contractor Ocean offers an emergency response for needles and we would urge anyone who sees one to call Ocean on 08000 855032 so that it can be dealt with as a priority."