A councillor is calling for increased police patrols at a park after needles were found in the toilets and knives discovered in the bushes.

Cllr Laura Edie says Hesketh Park in Pilgrims Way, Dartford, is becoming a hot spot for anti-social behaviour and is demanding an increased police presence to stamp out the problem.

She said: "If they can increase the visibility of officers people will be aware that they might get caught and hopefully it will act as a deterrent."

The mother-of-one's fears come after a park goer, who did not wish to be named, took their son to the playground and found drug paraphenalia in the toilets, just yards from the play equipment, on a Sunday morning.

The parent said: "It is just horrifying to think these are left in an open toilet that children can access. Imagine if a parent sent their child in unsupervised. It doesn't bear thinking about."

And they believe the dramatic cut back of the trees lining the playground recently is a clear sign that there is a problem.

"To try and combat the issue they've had to cut all the trees bushes back so these thugs and their drugs can't hide in them," they said.

"It is sad to think our local community park is now becoming a place where it's getting a reputation for this type of behaviour. There are so many children that still continue to go there, clearly not knowing the risks. I'm sure there's lots of parents that had no idea either."

Cllr Edie, who has a 10-year-old daughter, has written to the Community Safety Unit after hearing the concerns to encourage police to patrol the park and create more of a presence in the area. .

"This is incredibly concerning," she said. "We want to make people feel secure and comfortable when they are there."

And she is urging residents to report any antisocial behaviour or items they might see to police, to help build up a picture of the scale of the problems.

"People don't realise how important it is to report everything because in that way, when the police have their meeting about where best to target, it will be highlighted as a hot spot."

The mum said she is terrified her daughter, Sophia, might stumble across the drugs paraphernalia

"She is 10 so I am starting to encourage that independence. Imagine if she went into the toilets on her own and touched a needle. It is extremely worrying."

The councillor was delighted when the park received a much-needed revamp earlier this year and even more pleased when the council agreed to her request for CCTV cameras after the previous equipment was vandalised.

But she is concerned the CCTV is not being utilised properly.

"It is there but it is not very well resourced. There needs to be increased monitoring of the CCTV."

Cllr Edie is hoping if the Community Safety Unit starts to hear more reports about the park it will increase its patrols.

"I think somewhere like this, where there are going to be children, should definitely be a priority. It is particularly shocking."

She says she would hate for people to be put off visiting.

"It's a lovely park and the last thing we want is for parents to be too concerned to take their children there."

A police spokesman said: "We work closely with partner agencies and we are aware that three knives were recently found during routine grounds maintenance by council staff.

'The cutting back of the vegetation in Hesketh Park was part of the annual winter pruning works...'

"There are no known issues in the area but anyone who has concerns can report them online via our website."

A Dartford council spokesman said: "The cutting back of the vegetation in Hesketh Park was part of the annual winter pruning works and is essential to keep the plants and shrubs healthy and ready for spring.

"During the work this year three knives were found in the vegetation, but fortunately this is not a regular occurrence in our parks. The knives were disposed of in a suitable manner.

"The council is also aware of the images of the inside of the park toilets that are circulating on social media and can confirm that the issue was cleared and cleaned on the same day it occurred, as part of our twice daily visits which happen seven days a week.

"Whilst the park and the toilets are not continually monitored, our park rangers, supported by CCTV coverage, are also a regular presence in the park and are able to react and deal with any instances of ASB should they be seen or reported.

"We are very proud of our parks and open spaces and have invested heavily in them in recent years to ensure that our residents can safely enjoy their local environment, so rest assured we continue to focus our resources on monitoring the situation and taking any enforcement action that may be required."