THE controversial Crewe drugs centre which supplied needles and syringes found near a primary school has been backed by a local member of parliament.

Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody pledged her support for the South Cheshire Drug Service at a meeting with the centre last Friday.

The meeting, which was held in Mrs Dunwoody's Nantwich Road office, was called after Crewe councillor June Roberts called for the Edelston Road centre to be closed down.

Councillor Roberts was angry after seven needles and a hypodermic syringe were found scattered in the street less than 100 yards away from Edelston Road Primary School.

The service, which offers treatment and and support to drug users, also provides a syringe exchange system, which gives users free supplies of clean injecting equipment and safely disposes of used equipment.

Doctor Stefan Janikiewicz, clinical director of the Wirral and West Cheshire Community NHS Trust's Drug and Alcohol Service, defended the centre.

"I know myself and my staff would not sleep at night if they knew they were not doing all they could to prevent needles being discarded in the streets," he said.

The meeting was also attended by local councillors, two local GPs, the trust chairman and representatives from the drug service, Crewe Community Health Council, Crewe Police and the South Cheshire Health Authority.

Mrs Dunwoody said she welcomed closer communication between the centre and all the other agencies at the meeting.

"This meeting has been extremely helpful," she said.

"South Cheshire Drugs Service has my full support. Their service is in line with Her Majesty's Government's policy and they are doing some very positive work."

Councillor Roberts said afterwards she had never been against the aims of the clinic.

"I agree that it's doing marvellous work but it's in the wrong place," she said.

"The people in St. Johns ward won't use it. I still maintain it should have been in a doctor's surgery or a hospital where you could be going for a number of reasons and won't be labelled a 'druggie'"

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.