CHILDREN'S play equipment has been condemned by a council after safety checks revealed possible faults.

Nine swings and a slide in the Wear Valley District Council area have been cordoned off as a precaution.

The checks followed an accident at Sunniside, near Crook, last month, when swings collapsed on an eight-year-old boy.

Jim Howe needed hospital treatment after the swing's metal frame fell on his legs and head.

His parents, Carole and Jim Howe, who run the Moss Inn, said at the time he was lucky to be alive and called for an inquiry.

The Health and Safety Executive is investigating the accident, but has not yet published its findings. The swings were removed.

The council's community services department has been reviewing all the authority's playground provision since last September and is to report to members later this year.

Dennis Nattress, assistant community services director, said: "We check our equipment on a regular basis, but we did special checks following the accident. These revealed that nine swings and a slide are potentially unsafe and we have fenced them off as a precaution.

"A lot of them have been there for 40 or 50 years, and it is only natural that some of them are going to be past their life. We have to comply with modern standards, which are very strict.

"We are not saying that any are going to fall down tomorrow, but we have to be sure that the children can play in safety. We are preparing a report for members on our play provision throughout the district and it will be up to them to decide the way forward.

"It may mean in some places that we have to concentrate on one site. In Crook, for example, we have five or six sites, and it could be quite acceptable for children to go to one in Glenholme Park."

Mrs Howe said: "I wouldn't like any community to lose its swings. It is so important for children to have somewhere to play close to their homes.