More than half a million has been paid out by Northern Ireland’s councils in compensation and fees relating to injuries sustained at their playparks over the past five years – with the single largest payout setting one council back £75,000.
In total, at least 320 incidents were reported across more than 150 playparks in 11 council areas since 2021.
In response to Freedom of Information requests, seven local authorities provided compensation and fee figures to The Irish News, which totalled £567,712.55.
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The actual figure is likely to be even higher.
The playpark at Lisburn’s Wallace Park recorded 10 injuries, including three in the past year PICTURE: HUGH RUSSELL
Both Mid & East Antrim (MEA) and Newry, Mourne and Down (NMD) councils said that they did not hold the information as “all claims and settlement, if any, is subrogated” to their insurers.
Lisburn & Castlereagh Council and Causeway Coast & Glens Council said that they paid out no compensation in the past five years.
For the councils that did provide figures, Antrim & Newtownabbey came out on top at £188,703, followed by Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon (£151,978) and Fermanagh & Omagh (£75,000).
Fermanagh & Omagh recorded the single highest payment at £75,000.
The next largest single compensation payment was made by the local authority in Mid Ulster at £47,500.
The highest number of injuries was recorded in the Ards & North Down area, with 106 reports. However, there was only one payout of £10,600 in relation to injuries.
This council area also held the park with the highest single number of incidents – Ards Blair Mayne Playpark, with 42 reported injuries.
Speaking to The Irish News, injury solicitor and partner at Paschal O’Hare, Seymour Major, said that the majority of enquiries they receive about park injuries are “not actually the fault of the council”.
“Even when there’s a serious injury, it doesn’t always mean the councils are at fault,” he said.
“Children can seriously injure themselves just through ordinary course of play.
“If we do take it on, it tends to be because of an equipment malfunction or equipment that’s not really fit for purpose that hasn’t been thought out properly in its design.”
Mr Major said that when parents do approach them relating to injuries their children have sustained, it “tends to be because it’s been quite a serious incident”, with injuries ranging from fractures of the legs, arms or shoulders to bad gashes to the head and scarring.
“I think it’s very difficult for the parents or guardians, particularly when there’s been a very serious injury, because a lot of the time it affects them in terms of, if they’re working, they’re going to have to take time off work to care for their child,” he said.
“Those types of cases tend to be complex on liability and hard fought by the council.
“There’s rarely any mechanism for getting an interim payment for the parents or anything for care or anything like that.
“So quite often they’re left a bit financially in the lurch for a while whilst the claim has been dealt with and they often take a long time because of the liability issues.”
Councils said that the safety and wellbeing of children and families at their parks was their priority, with equipment and checks carried out in line with national standards.
A spokesperson for Belfast City Council said that they manage and maintain over 100 parks across the city, and while they “deeply regret any injury” that occurs on their premises, “the figures recorded over the past five years represent a very small percentage of the millions of visits to our parks during this period”.
Ards & North Down Borough Council said that it takes play safety “extremely seriously” and that the figures quoted reflect the “strength of [their] reporting culture rather than a higher level of risk”.
“Ards Blair Mayne Wellbeing and Leisure Complex is one of our busiest sites, with staff on hand to record every incident reported to them, and many other entries relate to Council‑run summer schemes where staff are required to document any injury, however minor,” they said.
“Our robust reporting system allows us to review every incident and make improvements where needed, and we are grateful to residents who alert us quickly to any issues so they can be addressed without delay.”
Elsewhere, a spokesperson for MEA Council said that they have a “robust inspection and repair process” and that following any incidents, when appropriate, “mitigation measures are implemented to reduce the risk of similar incidents occurring in the future”.
Antrim and Newtownabbey Council said that the occurrence of an accident or claim “does not necessarily indicate that the equipment was unsafe or that the council was at fault”.
They added that their commitment to inspection, maintenance and improvement across its playparks was demonstrated by a £2m investment project announced this year.