Defects at The Moor playground in Knutsford 'putting children at risk'

Dad Dan Whitworth is calling for urgent action to repair the damage and replace missing play equipment at the children’s play area on The Moor.

A large section of fencing is also missing allowing pets to get into the ‘no dog’ park.

The zip wire slide and motorbike rocking toy have also been removed.

The most worrying danger, he believes is a hole in the safety flooring beside the roundabout.

The hole in the protective flooring by the roundabout exposes bare concrete

“It has exposed bare concrete,” said Dan, 43, who has two young children.

“It is about 50cm long and 25cm wide.

“If a kid fell off the roundabout, they could hurt their head on that concrete.

James Whitworth beside the hole in the safety flooring at the children's playground on The Moor

“God forbid what could happen as these roundabouts tend to go fast.”

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Dan moved to Knutsford two years ago with his wife, daughter Judy, six, and son James, five.

“We were thrilled with the town, the people and the welcome we have received,” said Dan.

“The facilities that Knutsford has to offer us as a young family are really good.

“To have such a great park and recreational facilities on The Moor is wonderful.

“Up until last autumn, it was a really well looked after park but then we began to notice defects.”

The zip wire slide is missing

A large gap in the fencing, he says, needs to be mended.

“A huge strip of around 10 metres of fencing has gone missing,” said Dan.

“It means that dogs can just run around as they please. There are signs on the gates that say ‘no dogs’. This makes a fallacy of it.

“If your child is scared of dogs, it is a worry.

“This is an incredibly well-utilised resource by parents and children of Knutsford, the surrounding villages and people from further afield.

“These defects have been like this for months. There are a lot of people who can fix parks, it is not complicated.

“Why has this been allowed to go on for so long?”

A spokesman for Cheshire East Council said: “The council makes every effort to maintain the borough’s green space facilities to the highest possible standards, including children’s play equipment.

“These facilities at The Moor are maintained by the council’s environmental services company, Ansa, who have assured us they will inspect the problems complained about and take any necessary action.”