Evidence of drug abuse is regularly being found in Eversley and Yateley, according to residents.

Syringes, bongs (a device used for inhaling cannabis), empty drug bags and ends of roll-ups have been found.

Checkers Green and Cross Green in Eversley have become apparent hotspots for drug users.

Eversley Parish Council warden Richard Notz regularly finds cannabis packaging and has found syringes in play areas in the past.

He said: “They (the syringes) were not in bins. I found them lying around on the ground.

“People could hurt themselves and there are potential health hazards.

“I have found re-sealable plastic bags with printed cannabis leaves on them on a regular basis.

“It's an everyday thing that I find mainly in the play area of Checkers Green.

“It is an ideal spot as there is a car park with hedges all around it, so people are hidden.

“I sometimes find bags in Cross Green by the cricket pitch, but they are more regularly found in Checkers Green.”

"Number of years"

Mr Notz used to keep a log of incidents when he found empty cannabis bags, but it is so frequent it is now treated as everyday litter, alongside cigarette packets.

He has also found evidence of drug abuse in the lay-by of Firgrove Road.

Although he has never witnessed anyone using illegal substances, he has seen groups of people aged around 18 to 25 gathering, sometimes in the day and sometimes evenings.   

Cllr Philip Todd, chairman of Eversley Parish Council, said what was happening in the village was not exceptional.

He added: “In Eversley we employ a parish warden who looks after our parish, mowing verges among other things.

“On occasion he has reported bottles deliberately broken and used syringes and in all cases he has tidied it up.

“It is no more a problem in Eversley than it is in any other area.

“This is something that has happened for a number of years.

“When reports are made, beat manager Martin Bowman visits the area and investigates what is happening.

“The public can be reassured that we have a parish warden that checks the area regularly.”

"Under control"

Cllr David Simpson, the Liberal Democrat Hampshire county councillor for Yateley and Eversley, said: “Anything that is a danger to children is deplorable.

“People who do these things are clearly sick because if they stopped to think about what they were doing they would realise they could put children in danger.

“Thankfully this is not a regular occurrence. However I urge all parents to be cautious and report sightings if they see this.

“Play areas are not used by children during the night and one or two selfish people see that the area is not being used and decide to do this here.

“I was not aware of this being an issue and it should be put into context as it does not appear to be a large problem.”

Dave Brampton, an officer of Yateley Town Council, also regularly patrols the area.

He spoke of various items he had found suggesting drug abuse.

He said: “It is not a new thing. We do find traces of drugs in and around areas of the council.

“There was a spate of it two years ago, but generally it has levelled out.

“We are not sure where the people come from and the police are aware of it.

“The are spates of everything now and again, burglaries, people breaking into sheds, and sometimes there are spates of vandalism.

“I have found bongs, which are used for smoking around Kingsley Road in Eversley.

“There isn’t a great deal of this happening.

“You only have to look at or walk around Aldershot, Farnborough or sleepy Cove.

“I think we have our fair share, but it is under control.

“Two years ago there was a problem and I used to have to carry a yellow container to clear up sharps [syringes], but now it is cannabis, mainly roll-ups.”