A TEENAGER faces a wait of up to six months to discover if he is free of HIV and hepatitis after being hit by a 'dirty' needle which had been thrown at him.

The syringe was one of several in a discarded "sharps" box dumped in a wheelie bin close to the Conquest Theatre in Bromyard. It was thrown at him by a friend while they were messing around.

The 14-year-old's mother said: "We're aware of the implications. I'm devastated.

"The tests will probably be clear but for now it's a life-threatening situation.

"My son is coping with it very well. He knows the score."

The boy was taken to Nunwell Surgery, where he received a hepatitis B jab. Blood samples were also taken.

He must now receive further hepatitis jabs followed by a booster in a year's time.

Blood tests will be taken at three months and six months, compared with the first blood sample and tested for hepatitis and HIV.

His mother said: "We're very lucky in this area that cases of HIV and hepatitis are low but there is still a risk."

Mike Thomas, manager of Mental Heath Services for the Herefordshire Primary Care Trust, which covers the DASH drugs worker service, said it was the first case he had heard of a "sharps" box being dumped in a pubic bin in Herefordshire. He said: "It was an inappropriate way to dispose of it."

But he said that a drug user might not be to blame because "sharps" boxes were given to anyone who requires injections.

Beat manager John Bridges is urging youngsters not to treat any found syringes as playthings but to leave them alone and report the matter to the police. The boy who threw the needle has received a caution.