Doncaster mum's broken glass warning

When Westley Taylor took his son, Dexter, to the park at the Roman Ridge play area, Woodlands, he was surprised to find shards of glass near the play equipment.

Thankfully, the tot had been educated about the dangers and therefore avoided it, but Westley and his wife Angela say they are worried he or another child might not be so lucky next time and could end up injuring themselves.

Angela, aged 36, of The Ridge, Woodlands, said: “It’s completely unacceptable, the glass was left there for over a week.

“Dexter wandered over to the glass and said, ‘Look daddy,’ because he had been educated about broken glass and knows how dangerous it can be.

“But not every kid would be so lucky. You see kids of nine or 10 going there without their parents and I bet they would be picking it up and messing about with it.

“It’s just too much of a risk. It was heartbreaking to find out about this, because it’s our local park and we should be safe to take our kids there without worrying about it.

“The council should be patrolling their parks once a day, especially in areas like Askern and Woodlands where they know teenagers are drinking in parks and getting lairy. It’s disgraceful, other people in Woodlands have complained about it too.”

Angela did not report the incident to Doncaster Council.

Peter Dale, director of regeneration and environment, said: “Smashing glass in a play park is unacceptable and we will always take action against those responsible for litter or vandalism where we can trace them.

“It is vital that residents report incidents like these directly to us so that they can be sorted straight away either via the MyDoncaster App or by calling 01302 736000.

“Within an hour of being notified about this issue a member of staff attended Roman Ridge play area and cleared the broken glass from the site.

“We are also checking the surrounding area to make sure we don’t miss anything.

“Like all areas across the country, vandalism can be a problem in Doncaster but we will respond to reports of broken glass immediately.

“Council play areas are checked once a week by neighbourhood wardens and the play areas are inspected quarterly by our play equipment inspector.”