SWINGS and other play equipment could be removed from dozens of play areas in the Wear Valley because they are unsafe.

Wear Valley District Council is investigating ways of avoiding the loss of about half of the play areas in the district after the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (Rospa) classed 42 of the district's 81 play areas as high risk and in need of urgent action.

In most cases, they were identified as high risk because they lacked safety surfaces or equipment had been incorrectly installed.

The council, which commissioned the report, is obliged to act on the risk assessment and may have to grass over 23 play areas if a solution is not found.

Crook would be one of the areas worst hit, with seven play areas classed as high risk.

Councillor Wilf Dobinson, who represents the Crook ward, said it was inevitable some playing fields would go, because the council could not afford their upkeep.

He said one way the council was trying to provide more play areas was by encouraging developers to include play areas in housing schemes.

He said: "Most of the swings went up in the 1960s or before. The problem is the tubes rust away on the inside and need replacing.

"And we have concrete bases in most areas, which you can't now use, but it is expensive to remove and replace them."

At a meeting on Wednesday, councillors will vote on whether to get the authority's health and safety officer to prepare a detailed report identifying measures that could be taken to avoid the loss of equipment.

Another Crook councillor, Eddie Tomlinson, said playgrounds will not be disappearing overnight.

He said: "As I understand it, there won't be a decision made on this immediately. We are waiting for a report to tell us what action we are proposing to take on this.

"The bottom line is if there is a safety hazard for children, then clearly we have got a big responsibility and we have to take it very seriously. But we haven't jumped to any decisions yet."