Shipston play areas closed for safety reasons

Shipston Town Council says it will work hard to re-open two play parks in the town, following their recent closure for safety reasons.

Both the Mayo Road and Queen’s Avenue play areas are currently closed, with warning signs placed on the gates warning people not to use the equipment.

Shelagh Saunders, mayor of Shipston, said: “The parks are closed because of an issue with the soft play surface. We do regularly check the parks, but unfortunately the rubber-type play surface seems to have shrunk rather rapidly, so we’ve had to close them for the time being.

“We are working hard to get this problem sorted and re-open the parks as soon as we can.”

A statement on the Shipston Town Council Facebook page added: “So that we can provide best value for money for our residents, we must obtain a number of quotes from suitably approved contractors for repairs and maintenance to equipment and the surfaces in the play areas. We also arrange an annual play area inspection so that any issues are raised for us to resolve.

“Unfortunately all of this takes time and requires full council approval due to the expenditure required for the repairs. The General Purposes Working Group are all working hard on ensuring that quotes are sought and repairs authorised as per council guidelines so that necessary work can be carried out.

“We understand the frustration from residents who want to use the parks and we are doing all that we can to rectify the situation.”