A FAMILY is suing two parish councils over a playground accident where no safety checks had been carried out for two years.

Middleton St George Parish Council only discovered that Darlington council had stopped monitoring the equipment when a swing chain snapped 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, following a recommendation and a quote for work in November 1999, they authorised repairs to be done to the swings.

The accident on July 1 highlighted the fact that the work had not been done and there had been no safety checks since 1999.

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

Coun Doris Jones wrote to the borough council asking why the area had been left out of its strategy for outdoor play. Because of the enormous cost of improvements, she pointed out: "The councils must now consider whether it would be simpler to close the playground, which of course would be a devastating blow to the village, particularly since the number of residents with young children has increased dramatically in recent years."

In reply, the council said because the playground was owned by the parishes, it was their responsibility.

However, on Monday, Mr Terry Collins, head of leisure services, told members that Darlington had had a change of heart and was considering the plea to adopt the play area.

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

The proposal would be for the parishes to retain ownership of the land and the council to provide and maintain the play equipment.

Specialists were carrying out tests on the equipment; even the relatively new climbing frame would have to have a corrosion test.

Once the equipment came under the council umbrella, it would be monitored on a weekly basis by the village's litter picker and checked thoroughly on a quarterly basis by the authority.

Coun Jones said: "There is the possibility that within a few weeks we are going to have no equipment on this playing field."

"Look on the positive side," said Mr Collins. "If the little you do have is safe, that is the best scenario you could have."

The borough would try to ensure there was something for the children to play on.