Parents fear children will be seriously hurt at a new £400,000 “danger zone” play area - where youngsters could 'fall through the huge gaps'. <br /><br />The play zone reopened in September following two months of building work saw it pumped with hundreds of thousands of pounds in renovation cash.<br /><br />New equipment and an outdoor gym were installed, but parents say the construction is too dangerous for children to enjoy. <br /><br />Residents called for urgent change before a child is injured on Central Park, Ashford, Kent.<br /><br />Andrew Stott, a dad who lives in the surrounding Park Farm area, believes kids should not be allowed to play on the site. <br /><br />The 36-year-old father fears they will fall through “huge gaps” in the bridge built as a part of Ashford Borough Council's £1.1 million "play regeneration project."<br /><br />Construction worker Mr Stott added the segments of the slide are poorly connected and the floor is too hard. <br /><br />The father-of-three, with two step-children and a daughter, wants netting beneath the bridge and for constructors to close the gaps between the stepping platforms on the bridge. <br /><br />Another parent said signs could be erected to state the equipment should only be used by older children. <br /><br />After posting on Facebook Mr Stott received a positive response from fellow-concerned parents. <br /><br />A parent responding to Mr Stott’s post said they only let their children play on the site if they’re careful. <br /><br />"I’m glad someone else thinks it’s a danger zone.<br /><br />"It’s beautiful, yes, and most of the bits are cool, but there needs to be some casing I think to the bridge, and that big slide that’s just been turned to face the other way is a death trap," they wrote.<br /><br />"Personal opinion, I don’t wrap my older two in cotton wool and they’ve gone up there many times now - I just tell them to focus but wouldn’t let the other two near it.”<br /><br />Play areas in other nearby towns have also been improved, the council said. <br /><br />Ashford Borough Council said the Central Park play area was designed to meet the appropriate European safety standards for play equipment and surfacing.<br /><br />A spokesman said: "The company that produces and installs the equipment is one of the leading providers of this type of equipment in the country.<br /><br />"Both the company’s work and the actual equipment were inspected by an independent qualified register of play inspectors international inspector prior to it being opened to the general public.<br /><br />"The inspector confirmed the equipment has been installed to the correct standards and certified as low risk.<br /><br />"Our in-house grounds maintenance team will continue to regularly inspect the equipment to make sure it remains in good condition and will report and/or rectify any defects which may arise.<br /><br />"As the play area has been assessed and approved by an independent specialist, it has been installed as per the manufacturer’s instructions and our grounds maintenance team inspect the equipment on a weekly basis for any required repairs, we do not believe there is a need to revise the design of this play area."
