A pensioner with diabetes was horrified when nurses told her to leave hundreds of hypodermic needles on her doorstep.

Joan Jenner, 78, from Peacehaven, believes drug dealers and junkies will have a field day right outside her house if she follows instructions to leave up to 600 needles by the door.

Mrs Jenner said: "The druggies would think it was their birthday if they found a box full of needles stuck out there. I couldn't believe it when they told me to do it.

"Don't they realise this place is full of druggies and they will swarm down here as soon as they catch wind of the fact there's loads of needles outside."

Mrs Jenner uses four needles every day to inject insulin and used to dispose of them in a sharps bin or else take them to her GPs or local pharmacist to send them for incineration.

But now she has been told by district nurses that she can leave the needles outside her doorstep and that they will be collected on a weekly basis at 6am.

Mrs Jenner admits the 600 needles she has at the moment are the result of a build-up that has not been collected. But she is refusing to leave them outside for fear of what will happen to them.

She fears they will end up littering the streets and junkies will get a quick fix on her doorstep.

Mrs Jenner said: "They'll be collected all right but not by the proper people.

"The drug addicts will have them away straight away. This is a very dangerous thing to be doing."

Mrs Jenner has spoken to the police about leaving the needles and claims officers said it was a bad idea. But Sussex Police said that was an individual officer's opinion rather than force policy.

The force said it would have concerns if it was proven that drug addicts or users were able to get their hands on needles after being left on a doorstep for collection.

The needles pick-up scheme is being run by Sussex Downs and Weald Primary Care Trust. It was unable to comment on Mrs Jenner's case but an NHS spokesman said: "It is a common practice for needles to be picked up.

"If there are specific worries from a member of the public it is best these are talked through but alternative arrangements normally can be made."