A visitor to the island has told how his grand-daughter stepped on a needle while playing on the beach at Port Erin.

The girl attended Noble’s Hospital for precautionary tetanus and hepatitis injections.

Port Erin Commissioners said it was ‘concerned and saddened’ to hear about the incident.

It confirmed a tractor gearbox issue had reduced the amount of beach cleaning it could do.

John Boyer said he had been a regular visitor to the Isle of Man for more than 60 years.

He said: ‘I hope we’ve just been unlucky this year but would hope your readers, especially with very young children, are careful when visiting the beach this summer.’

Mr Boyer said that when their grandchild stood on a needle they had assumed it was a one-off.

But he added: ‘You can understand our sheer alarm when our granddaughter pointed out another needle, on the same beach two days later.

‘Port Erin beach was always regularly cleaned but I believe at the moment this is not happening due to machinery issues.

‘It’s always been a safe beach and as a family we haven’t spent time looking to see what hidden dangers may lie within the sand.’

It is understood the needles related to weight loss injections rather than substance abuse.

In a statement, Port Erin Commissioners said it was dedicated to ensuring the beach remains clean and safe.

It said: ‘Due to a current gearbox issue with our tractor, we have been unable to deploy our surf rake this week.

‘This forms only one part of our beach maintenance routine. Our staff continue to litter pick regularly.

‘During the summer months our team provide essential beach clearance services seven days a week.’

The Commissioners said last year it launched a campaign to clean up the beach. Waste collection capacity was increased by 400% and this has continued into 2025.