A MUM has banned her nine-year-old son from playing on a slide which she fears is unsafe and is ‘an accident waiting to happen’.

Sam Hill was left shocked and upset after seeing a school friend being taken to hospital after breaking an arm falling from the new slide at the park off Alberts Drive in March.

Sam’s mum Karen Tibbs said: “I know you can’t wrap them up in cotton wool but this slide is just an accident waiting to happen. With half term coming up I am concerned what will happen next.”

The park had a make-over during the summer and while Karen says she and other parents appreciate the investment by Fenland District Council they have concerns over the safety of the slide.

She said: “Imagine how upset Sam was to see that one of his school friends was badly hurt on Saturday October 9 in a fall from the new slide. An air ambulance had to be called to the scene as well as an ordinary ambulance.

“Fortunately the young lad’s badly broken arm will heal but it does beg the questions, whose child will be next? and how serious will the injuries be? This, unfortunately, is not the first incident to occur like this.”

Youngsters can climb onto the slide in a variety of ways and there is a platform at the top where they congregate. Karen said: “There are two ways down - down the slide if you are lucky or over the side if you are not.”

As the park is near to houses, Karen says youngsters are allowed to play there without adult supervision.

She said: “I want to highlight how dangerous this is before anything worse happens. I don’t want to be critical of the council but next time it could be a broken back or neck.”

Cavalry School pupil Sam has agreed to keep off the slide. He said: “I was really shocked when I saw what happened to my friend. It was a good job he didn’t hurt his neck or back because that could damage the nerve system”.

A spokesman for the council said: “All our play equipment conforms to approved safety standards and the big improvements we have made in Alberts Drive and elsewhere make the play areas much more challenging and fun.

“The new equipment that we have installed is what the children themselves wanted. Unfortunately, accidents do sometimes happen and we urge parents to make sure that their young children are properly supervised and use the equipment properly.”