In a post on Facebook, one parent said the syringe was found “at the bottom of the big slide” while they were at the playground with a group of parents and toddlers. 

The parents kept their children away from the syringe and called Bathurst Regional Council to report the incident. 

In the Facebook post, the parent said people should “keep your eyes peeled” when they visit the playground, making sure there are no similar objects in the vicinity. 

Council’s director of Engineering Services, Darren Sturgiss, said sharps are periodically found in areas around Bathurst, but not necessarily in the same places.

He said the Adventure Playground is an area regularly monitored by council staff. 

“Council's park maintenance staff attend the Adventure Playground on a regular basis each week for general maintenance matters, including litter, mowing and general inspections,” he said. 

“In addition to this, when council is made aware of  occurrences of sharps we can respond with trained staff and contractors available for such incidents.”

Council does encourage the proper disposal of syringes, with sharps containers generally located in all of its toilet facilities. 

Mr Sturgiss said these facilities are inspected and cleaned twice daily by council staff, with this increased to three times per day on public holidays.

Anyone who spots a sharp in a public place should not touch it and report the occurrence to council on 6333 6111.