AN appeal by schoolchildren for a playground to be repaired has been answered by their local council.

Pupils at Barnard Grove School, Hartlepool, wrote to the borough council about the state of the King Oswy play area in the town.

The youngsters told councillors they were sad that much of the play equipment was broken or missing, and it all needed to be painted.

The children took photographs to show councillors how litter and broken glass stopped them from using the equipment.

Now the council has announced it will carry out basic repairs to the play area to make it safer for the youngsters, and others in the borough.

A spokesman for the council said: "We are trying to get £2,000 from the North Neighbourhood Forum for the work, and the council also has about £2,000 of its own money set aside for the play area.

"This money will give the area a bit of a facelift, but sadly it is not enough to make dramatic improvements to the area."

Provided that the North Neighbourhood Forum gives money to the project, the council will get workers to paint and replace some of the broken play equipment, and carry out minor repairs. The spokesman said: "The council has been concerned for some time about this play ground. It is a top priority for us.

"As soon as we have accessed funds from whatever area, we will be planning a more substantial upgrade of the park, but that could cost in the region of £100,000."

The Clavering play area in the town is being up-dated by the council.

It has pledged to concentrate on the King Oswy site once this work is finished.

The spokesman said: "We appreciate the children's concern and we hope the work we do in the short term will appease them.