A TWELVE-year-old boy had to go to A&E after stepping on a discarded hypodermic needle at Cowdenbeath skate park.

His mum, Emma McDermott, said it pierced her son Ellis' foot and he had to be given an injection at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy.

She wants to warn other parents and told the Times: "It's a dirty needle that's punctured a child's skin.

"I'm just so angry that someone had been so careless to leave it at a skate park where, as it's summer, you've got kids there all day every day.

"The needle snapped as it went in.

"It went right through his trainer and into his foot, that's how sharp it was, and we had to pull it out with pliers. That's terrifying."

Emma added: "HIV or Hepatitis C is the real concern.

"I'm not a daft lady and did some research so I knew it wasn't necessarily going to be as horrific as you'd think.

"I think they said 45 minutes is the longest anything like that could survive on the needle.

"He still had to get a Hepatitis B injection though, which he said was flipping sore, and bloods taken.

"And we'll have to go back in a month's time. He's 12, just a bairn."

Ellis was playing with friends at the skate park on Sunday evening and began cycling home.

He got off his bike to walk when he stepped on the needle, and he cut his finger as he removed his training shoe.

Emma tried to get a GP appointment and called 101 but had to wait until the next day, when she visited the practice and was advised to take Ellis to hospital.

She said: "So on Monday night we were in A&E for hours.

"Luckily the doctor was amazing, he didn't leave anything to chance, and told us there's no living case of anyone contracting HIV or Hep C from a discarded needle in public.

"It's zero. But they could have had anything else, they could have coronavirus.

"His foot's fine, the cut on his finger was bad but the bleeding helped.

"He's got a sore arm and he's to get another vaccination in a month's time, at the clinic this time so it'll be another whole set of questions and people to deal with.

"It's just horrible and frightening that someone would use and then leave a dirty needle at a skate park where children play."

Fife Council's safer communities service manager, Kirstie Freeman, said: "We urge people to be vigilant and report any discarded needles they see by calling 03451550022.

"We take the issue extremely seriously and council teams will be on site to remove needles, syringes and any other drug related items as soon as possible, and within 24 hours of them being reported.

"We will continue to monitor and patrol the area."