A SAFETY report could lead to more than half of Wear Valley District Council's play areas being closed.

A special meeting of the authority's community services committee has been called for Monday, April 26, to discuss the report from the Health and Safety Inspectorate.

The council's ruling Labour group is understood to have discussed the issue on Thursday night and officers are preparing a report for the committee.

The council spends £41,000 a year maintaining its play sites in an area stretching from Upper Weardale to Crook, Willington and Bishop Auckland.

It was fined £10,000 in January last year for failing to maintain swings that collapsed on an eight-year-old Sunniside boy, hitting him on the head.

Following the accident in July 2002, the council closed 26 of its 83 play areas and implemented a scheme to inspect the rest once a week, with an engineer visiting once a month.

But the arrangement is not enough to meet British standards, which require daily checks on the most heavily used pieces of play equipment.

Council leader Councillor Olive Brown said yesterday that no decision had been taken by the authority.

She said: "We have to look at our playground provision in the light of the health and safety report. We are looking at the whole question of play, and it is my recommendation that we should consult with children and parents on how best to move forward.

"The most important issue for us is safety, and we have to meet strict regulations on that score.

"Our play areas have been under review for some time and it would cost a fortune to put all of them right.

"One of the ways forward is to work with other agencies to provide facilities for our children."

Some communities have already found alternative ways of giving their children safe places to play.

Groups in Stanley Crook and Willington have raised money and won grants for new playgrounds, helped by the council and agencies including Groundwork West Durham.