Vandals put end to kids’ play

By Bridget Brady
CASEY council has been lax in its response to a reported hazard at a Cranbourne West playground, a resident says.
Alan Howson said he told the council about four weeks ago that two slides had been damaged and were a safety risk to children at a Central Parkway park .
The damage to the fibreglass slides meant kids could easily cut themselves with the sharp surfaces when they used the slide, or get bad splinters, Mr Howson said. “I used to be a fibreglass laminator so I know a lot about fibreglass. It’s bad enough for an adult hand to get a splinter, the infection happens rather quickly. And you can’t really see it because it’s transparent.”
Mr Howson said the damage should have been fixed as soon as he reported it. “It should have been rectified there and then.”
The area was cordoned off, but Mr Howson said it was a “very poor effort” and children could easily step over it to use the slides.
“If they don’t care about kids then shame on them. ”
Mr Howson said it was particularly disappointing because he reported the matter to the council during the school holidays, when many children would have used the park.
The council did not provide a response before the News went to print.