A landlord has criticised a council for charging businesses for picking up discarded syringes.

He warned it could lead to needles being left on the street.

Sean Brooks, 24, landlord of The Racehill, in Lewes Road, Brighton, is furious after being told Brighton and Hove City Council would charge £10 to pick up a syringe from his pub.

He said: "I think it's absolutely disgusting. The only thing for me to do is to put it back in the street which I won't do, so I'm stuck with it."

The syringe had been left in a crocodile skin handbag outside the pub on Wednesday morning and Mr Brooks is keeping it out of harm's way behind the bar.

But he said: "People like myself are not going to do this again. They are going to leave needles out there.

"We can't be held responsible to pay money to hand in syringes."

Mr Brooks, who has been landlord of the Racehill for two years, was handed the bag and syringe by a builder as he was opening.

"He said he hadn't opened it to look for identification.

"I had a quick peak and there was a needle there so I phoned the police.

"They said I'd have to phone the council, which said it would not pick up from a business but if it had been in the street, it would have."

Syringes are picked up free of charge by Cityclean, the council's in-house cleansing service if they are found in the streets or on the beach.

Mr Brooks said he was angry that the council's policy meant that if he had acted irresponsibly and thrown the needle back into the street, it would have been collected for nothing.

He has been backed by the British Beer and Pub Association, which lobbies on behalf of landlords.

Its spokesman Mark Hastings said: "Clearly this landlord is playing his part in trying to be responsible and uphold the law and operate within it.

"This issue is about the pubs, local authorities and police working together for greater vigilance with drug taking."

A spokeswoman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: "The information he was given was technically correct in that the council is only responsible for picking up refuse from public highways. Businesses make their own arrangements."

She said the council had in the past picked up from private businesses which reported just one or two syringes but couldn't be responsible for hoards of needles found on building sites.

She said: "We recognise the dilemma here, and as a gesture of goodwill, we will pick up the handbag today."