Dangerous children's playgrounds survey reveals Wigan as hotspot

Manchester-based law firm Simpson Millar undertook national research after seeing a number of recent reports from parents who have expressed safety concerns.

Their study gathered data from more than 140 UK councils on reported accidents and complaints in relation to equipment safety since 2019, via freedom of information requests issued in August 2022.

Lancashire ranked as fourth and Greater Manchester as fifth in the 10 counties/areas with the highest number of accidents and safety complaints.

And they discovered that: Wigan council had the worst accident record in the region with 15, and Haigh Woodland Park mentioned as a location of multiple incidents.

Lancashire is a UK hot spot for dangerous children’s playgrounds – around six per cent of all accidents reported in UK play parks since 2019 have occurred here.

Greater Manchester also featured in the report, with Trafford council reporting 20 accidents and Davyhulme Park mentioned five times.

Melanie Burden, head of serious injuries at Simpson Millar, said: “When using any public playground, there can of course be a risk of an accident.

If you or your child has been injured in a public playground, there are time limitations when making claims, but we’d recommend getting in touch with a team for legal advice as soon as possible.

"One reason for this is because it is often easier to get evidence to support your claim if the accident has happened recently.

It’s not always immediately clear who is responsible when an accident takes place in a public place such as a playground.

"Even if you are partly responsible, you may still be able to claim compensation.”

A spokesperson from Wigan council said: “At Wigan Council, we have robust processes in place to ensure the safety of children using our facilities which includes the reporting of any incidents that do occur.

“Ensuring children have a safe place to play is really important to us and that is why we are investing £2m in our parks and greenspaces, which includes brand new, accessible play equipment at Pennington Flash.

“We encourage anyone who spots any issues in our playgrounds to report these to us as soon as possible.”

Further information about this study can be found at: https://www.simpsonmillar.co.uk/media/personal-injury/the-most-dangerous-playgrounds-in-the-uk/