THE future of a playground is uncertain after a mix-up over maintenance was exposed when a child was hurt.

Middleton St George Parish Council only discovered that Darlington borough council had stopped monitoring the equipment when a swing chain snapped last month and a young girl broke her arm. It owns the playing field jointly with neighbouring Low Dinsdale council.

For ten years they had relied on Darlington's goodwill for inspections, with the parishes paying for repairs.

The parish councils say that they authorised repairs to the swings in November 1999 but July's accident shows that this work was never done.

Now the swings have been dismantled and a risk assessment is being carried out on the slide and a two-year-old climbing frame.

Parish councillor Doris Jones said: "The councils must now consider whether it would be simpler to close the playground, which of course would be a devastating blow."

Terry Collins, head of leisure services at the borough council said that the council was considering a plea for it to adopt the play area.

He said: "I said we would look at the feasibility and I do think it is going to be a possibility in the very near future."