Syringe found by Peter Clarke inside track pants he bought from Mandurah Salvos.
Camera IconSyringe found by Peter Clarke inside track pants he bought from Mandurah Salvos. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

‘Devastated and angry’: Man finds syringe in pants bought from Mandurah Salvos

Victoria RificiMandurah Coastal Times

PETER Clarke was “devastated and angry” after he found a used syringe in the pocket of some track pants he bought from Mandurah’s George Street Salvation Army store.

Mr Clarke, who is currently staying in Meadow Springs, was shopping at the op shop with his daughter Ash on Tuesday.

“I grabbed them, purchased them, went home, put my trackie pants on and put my hand inside the pocket and found the syringe,” he said.

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“I thought it was a pen and I wasn’t even close.”

The 50-year-old Geraldton resident said the syringe didn’t injure him as it was empty and capped but particles of blood could be seen through it.

He said he wanted his experience to be a warning to other shoppers.

“I want people to make sure when they go shopping to make sure they know what they’re buying, to pat down the pockets and make sure there is nothing inside them,” he said.

Coastal Times contacted the Salvation Army and a spokeswoman said they were working with Mr Clarke to resolve the situation.

“Salvos Stores do have a sorting process in place which requires our team to check pockets of garments by patting down the item,” she said.

“Unfortunately in this instance we missed the item and for that we are truly sorry.

“We will also be ensuring all our stores are refreshed and aware of the sorting process to try to avoid a situation like this happening again.”