Shock as shards of glass found on children's play equipment at Mundles Lane park, East Boldon

Several pieces of broken glass were found in the holding points of the children’s climbing wall at Mundles Lane play area in East Boldon on Wednesday, July 22.

The glass, which looked to have been deliberately placed, was discovered by parents as play areas in the borough began to reopen for the first time since the lockdown came into force in March.

Megan Patrick, who took her son to the playground on its first day back open on Wednesday, July 22, spotted the glass just in time before he cut his hand on it.

Warning other parents in a post on the Pride in East Boldon Facebook page, she said there was also a large amount of broken glass on the ground of the play area and in the grass.

She commented: “My little boy is so happy to see Mundles park back open, it’s just a shame someone has put broken glass on the climbing wall.

“Smashing bottles in a play park is bad enough, but deliberately placing it to try and hurt children is beyond belief.

"It’s so lucky I noticed it as I lifted him up to grab the hold.”

Council leaders have labelled the actions as ‘disturbing’ and ‘unacceptable’.

They say the glass has now been removed and the play area was checked and cleared out soon after it was reported.

Councillor Joan Atkinson, Lead Member for Area Management and Community Safety, said: “It’s disturbing that broken glass has just been left on play equipment and in an area used by children. This dangerous, careless behaviour is totally unacceptable. A child could have easily been hurt.

“Mundles play park only reopened on Wednesday morning. As soon as the broken glass was reported to us on the afternoon, we immediately sent our grounds maintenance contractor out to clear the area and prevent any potential injuries to children or adults. We’ve had a team visit again on Thursday morning to clean and check the park over.”

All play parks in the borough are expected to be reopen by the weekend.

Parents are urged to be ‘vigilant’ and check the areas for glass or dangerous items, reporting any issues as soon as possible.

Cllr Atkinson continued: “In line with national standards, we carry out weekly inspections of our play parks to make sure they are safe for residents. We would urge parents to be vigilant, to check where their children play and report broken glass or any other dangerous items as soon as possible so that quick action can be taken.”

She added: “While it is wonderful that children can enjoy local play areas once again, we would also urge parents and carers to take extra care to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. We would like to take this opportunity to remind families of the rules around social distancing and the importance of regular hand washing, particularly before, during and after visiting parks, to help keep their children, themselves and others safe.”

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