UPDATED: Parents of youngsters in Ryde are saying health and safety has gone mad following the closure of a popular children’s play area after a child slipped on some mud.
Appley Park sand play area has been closed for weeks for ‘essential maintenance’, despite nothing having been done to the play area since the closure, causing confusion for users and visitors to the area.
Following the installation of a brand new pirate ship apparatus, it is understood a child slipped on some mud surrounding the new installation resulting in no noteworthy injuries. However, the minor incident is causing misery for hundreds of others with the parents of the unnamed child threatening to sue the Isle of Wight Council, which has resulted in the closure of the park until further notice.
Click on the above image to see the mud to the left of the pirate ship.
During glorious sunshine and now during half term the play park, which been popular with children for over 15 years and has hardly changed in that time due to the safe nature of the equipment and surrounding area, remains locked and empty with a notice attached to the gate (pictured above).
Some parents have decided to let their children enjoy the sand play park by lifting them over the low level fences, with no apparent risk to the public.
Nearby beach hut owners have described how kiddies have been crying when arriving at Appley and many of the locals have called for the one area in question to be cordoned off if the Council deem it to be a health and safety issue, allowing the rest of the play area to be used.
Meanwhile, parents and locals have called for the Isle of Wight Council to place more sand in the park to remove any mud risk, something that should take only a matter of days, not weeks. From photographs taken by Island Echo this evening (Tuesday), it appears more sand is required around the brand new apparatus – however the area isn’t in short supply as the park sits less than 10metres from Ryde beach.
UPDATE WEDNESDAY @ 15:45 – Following the publication of our story last night, tons of sand has today been placed at the play park in order to allow the area to reopen to the public.
Contractors have spent this afternoon collecting sand from the nearby beach, transporting it to the sand play area and distributing it around each piece of equipment.
It is understood sand was not replaced around the Pirate Ship following its installation, something that should have been completed. Reports suggest the gates were left unlocked by mistake ahead of the above mentioned incident, which involved a young girl becoming covered in mud.
UPDATE THURSDAY: Less than 48 hours after the publication of this story, Appley Play Park has reopened to the public.
The Isle of Wight Council have today said a ‘collapsed drain’ caused problems with the ground, resulting in the closure. However, photographs taken of the area by Island Echo appear to show no drain, collapsed or otherwise.
We invite readers to draw their own conclusion.
