Posters telling children what to do if they find a drugs needle are being sent out to schools across the region.

The action follows the findings of a survey which revealed a seven per cent increase in the number of syringes found on school grounds.

Keep Britain Tidy, which carried out the study, said the posters, designed for primary and secondary schools, encourage youngsters to "Tell, don't touch" whenever they see a needle.

The survey also revealed the best trained caretakers were in the North-East, where 13 per cent had been taught by the council to collect needles safely.

In the east Midlands, east of England, North West, South East or South West, however, not one caretaker had received local authority training.

The campaign is backed by CDs full of advice and information, and aims to increase awareness of the drugs-litter problem, without alarming teachers and children.

Alan Woods, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said: "While our report has revealed that we are finding more needles than ever before, it also shows that councils are getting at reporting and recovering them. "Not one child in this country has ever contracted a serious infection from a discarded needle and with education campaigners like this one, we can keep it that way."

The survey showed around 150,000 syringes were collected by councils across the country last year - with sharp rises also recorded at playing fields, churchyards and public toilets.

But while 94 per cent of council staff were better prepared to remove drugs litter, just four per cent of councils had trained school caretakers to shift them. Mr Woods added: "While I firmly believe we are better organised and more educated than ever before about drugs litter, now is not the time to become complacent. "We must ensure that every child and every school knows what to do if they find a littered needle."