Urgent checks made on swings

Children enjoy the lakefront park after urgent safety checks were carried out by council staff.

Urgent safety checks have been carried out across Rotorua playgrounds after a child was injured when a corroded swing broke in mid-air.

Rotorua Lakes Council Sports and Recreation manager Rob Pitkethley said swings in more than half of the district's playgrounds had been checked this week and the inspection programme should be completed today.

The Carroll Park swing that broke, injuring a boy, was promptly repaired.

He said none of the swings inspected so far showed corrosion that caused Sunday's accident.

The accident prompted the Rotorua Daily Post to run a Facebook poll asking readers about the state of local playgrounds. Kuirau Park, the Lakefront and the playground by the Rotorua Museum were frequently mentioned as being clean and well maintained.

Although most of the responses were positive, readers raised some concerns about tagging, litter, and broken glass at some parks. The Aorangi Reserve on Susan St and the Homedale St Reserve playgrounds were the most criticised by users.

Savana Paul, 13, who likes to hang out at Aorangi Reserve with her friends, said it was usually pretty clean, but there was broken glass in the bark around the playground on Tuesday.

"It's the first time I've seen any broken glass here. It was probably some drunk guys walking through here last night."

Mr Pitkethley said the council did fortnightly maintenance checks on all Rotorua playgrounds and a "litter run" was carried out at least every two days, with rubbish being picked up and bins cleared. He added that any hazards, like broken glass, were usually dealt with on the same day they're reported to the council, and any graffiti was cleaned up within 24 hours of a report.

Many respondents also mentioned they would like to see more shelter from the sun at playgrounds.

"The playground by the museum is awesome, especially with the big tree for shade on these hot days. That's all that's needed at most playgrounds [in Rotorua], the rubber and plastic heats up in the sun and can hurt kids' skin," said Michele Myatt.

Mr Pitkethley said the Aquatic Centre was the only playground with a sun sail for shade as it was in a secure location, but the council tried to ensure adequate shade at playgrounds by planting trees.

Residents can help the council keep and report damage or vandalism in playgrounds, parks and reserves by calling the council on (07) 348 4199, emailing mail@rdc.govt.nz, sending a TXT to 4343 (enter letters RDC, then space, then comment) or online via the "Request It" function on the council website www.rdc.govt.nz.