On behalf of many parents in the Benfield area of Portslade, I must protest that the cleverly-designed playground bordered by Fox Way, Bush Farm Drive and Warrior Close has been so sorely neglected.

During the half-hour in which my three-year-old daughter and I visited the park the other day, we saw another six toddlers and about ten young teenagers using the park, all at some risk of injury.

The greatest worry was the broken glass all over the lower playground area.

Obviously, this could have happened this past weekend but other dangers have been there for some time: 1. One of the two remaining spring horses has a broken handle.

2. The wooden borders of all the play areas are broken and some look sharp and dangerous. Sooner or later, someone will end up with a stake through their foot or, at the very least, a big splinter.

3. The wooden fencing around the upper play area is broken. This allows smaller children to fall down the steep hill.

4. Nettles grow uncontrolled along the fencing.

5. There is litter everywhere. Why has our local playground been neglected for so long?

It is well-used, especially by very young children and young teens, despite half of the area being unusable. Every time a badly-maintained piece of equipment finally breaks, it is removed and never replaced.

What a waste of a wonderful site and a playground that was originally very well planned.

Surely it is more cost-effective to maintain what is already there than replace the whole lot?

Other play areas - St Ann's Well Gardens and Hove Lagoon playground - are well maintained, with equipment painted regularly, broken pieces replaced and the area kept child-friendly.

Clearly, our children are not as important to Brighton and Hove City Council.

  • Fran Carter, Dean Gardens, Portslade