The hidden Swansea city centre woodland where people take drugs and sex workers ply their trade

Discarded syringes, heroin 'cookers' and needle boxes litter a hidden little patch of woodland in the heart of Swansea. It is an oasis that exists just feet from a row of people's homes.

Hidden from most people's view, the patch of land, not far from the city's police station, attracts drug users, sex workers and the homeless.

At first glance it could be mistaken for any other patch of wooded area, with sun streaming through the trees. But look down and you will see evidence of the troubled lives of people often existing on the edge of society.

Some call it 'junkie jungle' because of its wooded nature and how it is being used.

Syringes are seen in the undergrowth, together with discarded needle packets and a small metal object, which turns out to be a "cooker", used by addicts to heat up their drugs before injecting.

Cut-off drinks cans can also be seen lying among the fallen leaves. These are also used by addicts to "cook" their heroin.

But evidence is also found of ways users reduce the risk of injury to themselves or others. Small black boxes are seen on the floor. They are full "sharps" boxes - given out by pharmacies or drugs charities to store used syringes.

According to Jamie Harris, service manager for drug support service Barod, the small patch of ground near its offices in Mansel Street is popular with homeless people searching for a private place to inject.

Inside Swansea's so-called 'junkie jungle':

It is also used by sex workers who want to see clients discreetly - the area is one of a few in the city which is close enough to the heart of Swansea but far enough away so as not to attract attention.

There is even a clearing where drug users can sit down to inject, and packets of wet wipes thrown away after being rubbed on users' arms to sterilise the areas where they are injecting.

Jamie said: "This is well off the beaten track, mostly used by the homeless.

"It's very private up there, but its use dies off in winter, because of the leaves falling off the trees, and it's not as private as it is now."

But, while the area is great for privacy that very advantage can cost people's lives.

Anecdotally, Jamie said he'd heard people had died there because they had taken a drugs hit which had affected them, but there was no-one nearby to save them.

But no-one needs to die from a heroin overdose. A substance called Naloxone can be given to users who have overdosed that can bring them round.

On the other side of the road from so-called 'junkie jungle' is a neat row of houses, and neighbours have expressed their concerns at the activities going on feet away from them.

Jamie said: "They are quite concerned about that area being used for that - understandably so.

"Discarded needles are not nice for the community to come across."

But, surprisingly, the area is not as badly affected as it has been.

A few years ago hundreds of discarded syringes could be seen there.

Jamie said Barod had spent a lot of time with service users spelling out the importance of discarding needles efficiently through Barod or their pharmacy.

And they are extremely busy coping with demand for their drug and alcohol services.

Last year figures released from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) revealed Swansea and Neath Port Talbot were in the top 10 local authorities in England and Wales for the highest rates of heroin deaths.

And there is an anecdotal surge in crack cocaine use in the Swansea area.

Jamie puts this down, at least in part, to the county lines phenomenon, where dealers from outside an area flood it with drugs, therefore pushing up both supply and demand.

But every user has their own complex reasons for turning to drugs and alcohol, and for why a drink or cannabis addiction can escalate to someone apparently irretrievably consumed by a need to inject heroin or take crack cocaine.

Jamie said: "It is often adverse childhood experiences - those suffering trauma might self-medicate.

"We try to straighten out the reasons for the use and see what we can use to change the behaviour and reward pathways.

"We look at someone who has been using heroin for some years and which is giving some reward and pleasure and ask them to stop using it and change the behaviour behind it."

For those desperate enough to use the scrap of land to inject drugs, Barod can be a lifeline - literally.

The service is available not just for those in dire need of help, but also their families and friends who have been affected by their misuse.

And even those not concerned about their drug use, but who want advice, can be helped.

Jamie said: "When someone is young they don't understand the risk. They are fit and healthy and don't think about the consequences.

"That bit of engagement with someone like us can save someone's life."