2022 figures on reported playground accidents are set to exceed last year’s by a third (34%)
- Hampshire was found to have the most dangerous public play parks, with 10% of all UK accidents and complaints recorded since 2019 occurring here
- Bedfordshire and Greater London join Hampshire in the top three
- The West Midlands was found to have the safest playgrounds with the fewest reported accidents and complaints about the safety of equipment
- 23 councils contacted had no accidents or complaints recorded since 2019
- For more information, please visit the recent Simpson Millar article.
We're rated‘Excellent’Accidents reported in public children’s playgrounds are expected to hit a four year high this year, according to data collected via freedom of information requests that were sent to UK councils.
The discovery could be concerning for many parents who rely on nearby playparks as a way of ensuring their children get time outside, fresh air, exercise and are kept entertained throughout the year.
The total number of accidents reported between January-August 2022 has already hit 89% of last year’s figures, with more than a quarter of the year still to go.
If this trend continues, it’s expected that the number of accidents reported to have taken place at children’s playparks will be a third (34%) higher than last year.
Playgrounds in Hampshire, Bedfordshire and Greater London were found to be the most dangerous.
The figures come from a new report by national law firm, Simpson Millar who wanted to explore how dangerous public playparks really are, after seeing recent reports1 from parents who have expressed safety concerns.
The study gathered data received from more than 140 UK councils on reported accidents and complaints in relation to equipment safety since 2019, determining where the most dangerous playgrounds can be found and how the volume of incidents has changed over time.
Hampshire came out as the county with the most dangerous public children’s playgrounds overall. The number of reported complaints and accidents at the area’s 292 playgrounds accounted for 10% of the UK total since 2019.
Eastleigh Borough Council in Hampshire was the worst affected borough in the county, having received a total of 239 safety complaints from 2019-2022, which was 89% of Hampshire’s total.
In 2021 alone, Eastleigh Borough Council received 88 complaints in relation to the safety of its playground equipment. However, despite the high number of complaints reported to this council, there has only been one reported accident since 2019.
Leigh Road recreation ground in Eastleigh has had a total of 19 complaints in regard to the safety of its playground equipment, indicating it could be a location where parents may wish to undergo extra checks before allowing children to play freely.
Joining Hampshire at the top of the list of the places with the ‘most dangerous playgrounds’ was Bedfordshire, with 215 accidents and complaints recorded over its 55 play areas (since 2019).
In the same timeframe, Greater London saw 185 playground accidents and safety complaints across its 472 parks.
The 10 regions with the highest number of accidents and safety complaints
|
Region |
Number of playgrounds |
Total number of complaints and accidents (2019 – Aug 2022) |
% of accidents and complaints from UK-wide total |
|
Hampshire |
292 |
288 |
10% |
|
Bedfordshire |
55 |
215 |
7.6% |
|
Greater London |
472 |
185 |
6.6% |
|
Lancashire |
374 |
179 |
6.4% |
|
Greater Manchester |
302 |
174 |
6.2% |
|
Cheshire |
147 |
170 |
6% |
|
Gloucestershire |
132 |
168 |
6% |
|
Wales |
1052 |
166 |
5.9% |
|
South Yorkshire |
350 |
133 |
4.7% |
|
Tyne & Wear |
350 |
116 |
4.1% |
When reviewing the data from each individual district or borough council (rather than by county) Hertsmere Borough Council in Hertfordshire came out on top, with 106 accidents reported in their 27 playgrounds over the four years.
The council had 27 accidents reported in 2022 alone, with four months of year still to go.
Interestingly, despite a high number of reported accidents, the council does not have records of any complaints being made in regard to the safety of its playground equipment.
When looking solely at accident numbers, Tewksbury Borough Council in Gloucestershire, Ards and the North Down Borough Council in Northern Ireland both recorded 71 accidents from 2019 to 2022, placing them in joint second behind Hertsmere Borough Council.
For Ards and the North Down Borough Council, one site proves to be their most accident-prone, Ards Blair Mayne Wellbeing and Leisure Complex accounting for 33 accidents reported, 40% of all accidents reported.
When looking at the safest areas, the West Midlands was found to have no accidents or complaints recorded in the same time period across its playgrounds – although not all councils contacted here provided data in the FOI response period.
The East Midlands councils recorded just one accident and one complaint from 2019-2022, and in third place Northamptonshire councils recorded four accidents and zero complaints over the same period.
The 10 regions with the lowest number of accidents and safety complaints
|
Region |
Number of playgrounds |
Total number of complaints and accidents (2019 – Aug 2022) |
% of accidents and complaints from UK-wide total |
|
West Midlands |
70 |
0 |
0% |
|
East Midlands |
17 |
2 |
0.07% |
|
Northamptonshire |
101 |
4 |
0.14% |
|
Cambridgeshire |
177 |
8 |
0.28% |
|
Oxfordshire |
163 |
9 |
0.32% |
|
Leicestershire |
267 |
10 |
0.35% |
|
Cumbria |
74 |
11 |
0.39% |
|
North Yorkshire |
111 |
11 |
0.39% |
|
Nottinghamshire |
48 |
11 |
0.39% |
|
Berkshire |
70 |
12 |
0.42% |
|
Norfolk |
305 |
12 |
0.42% |
A total of 23 councils contacted had no complaints or accidents recorded at their parks from 2019 to 2022. This includes Leicester City Council, who manage 184 children’s parks in total, and Camden Borough Council in London who are in charge of 155 playgrounds.
Melanie Burden, Head of Serious Injuries at Simpson Millar commented: “When using any public playground, there can of course be a risk of an accident.
If you or your child has been injured in a public playground, there are time limitations when making claims, but we’d recommend getting in touch with a team for legal advice as soon as possible.
One reason for this is because it is often easier to get evidence to support your claim if the accident has happened recently. The injuries sustained can vary but can also in some circumstances can be life changing.
It’s not always immediately clear who is responsible when an accident takes place in a public place such as a playground. Even if you are partly responsible, you may still be able to claim compensation.”
Further information about this study can be found in this recent article.
For further information, please contact Cheryl Crossley – [email protected] or Naomi Willet – [email protected].
Sources
1 https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/fuming-mum-says-local-playground-27598444
Methodology
- We sent Freedom of Information requests to more than 300 UK councils / local authorities for data on the number of accidents and complaints in regard to park equipment for 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. We also asked for the names of the parks that received the highest number of accident reports and complaints. We received responses back from 145 councils in the 20-working day FOI response period.
- The total number of accidents in 2022 was 242. We divided this number by the number of months in the year so far (8) and multiplied by 12 to estimate the number of accidents in 2022 if the trend of accidents continued.
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