A PROPOSAL to spend £1m on safety measures at east Cleveland's 68 playgrounds has been outlined.

Councillors have agreed to allow the bid to find the cash over five years to be considered as part of next year's budgetary considerations.

The plan has been put together following a safety report and after Redcar and Cleveland Council were hit with 19 compensation claims from people injured in the park, which have led to payouts of £64,300 to date.

The extra money would be spent on replacing old equipment, safety measures and further risk assessments.

At present, the annual budget is £34,000 a year, roughly £500 per park.

Coun Keith Pudney said: "This issue is not just about shunting children off somewhere, but is about children's development. Nationally lack of children's play areas is a problem that needs to be addressed."

At a meeting on Tuesday officers were told to investigate the possibility of funding from outside the council.