A RESIDENT says a play park has been left a mess after work started before the lockdown was abandoned.

Jonathan Terry, 47, of Totmel Road, said the partial work done at the Parkway play area in Canford Heath has left the community without a place for youngsters to enjoy themselves.

He told the Daily Echo: “They took out some of the equipment and put in the new equipment and stopped working.

“Both me and my wife are childminders and there has been no area for children to play.

“I think some of the other residents have had enough as well.

“The park is now a magnet for antisocial behaviour.

“Youths would be there smashing bottles and throwing them on the path and it is a very big area for dog walking.

“It needs to be finished and regularly police-patrolled.”

BCP Council released a list of play parks reopening after lockdown in July and stated that the play area at Parkway would stay closed for “refurbishment”.

Mr Terry said: “BCP Council told me work had to stop so they could build the temporary mortuaries but that was only in the first few weeks.

“We have two sons and to be honest we would not go in there anyway because it is filled with antisocial youths.”

Pictures of the park show litter around the fencing as well as broken bottles around the play equipment.

A spokesperson for BCP Council said: “Works started to refurbish the Canford Heath Parkway play area in February 2020 but were delayed as a result of lockdown.

“When the works restarted in the summer they were unfortunately delayed further due to a need for a third party topological survey, an error with the equipment supplied and a delay in being able to source rubber surfacing due to a manufacturer shortage.

“We are now making progress at the site, and the correct equipment has now been installed. The next steps are to install rubber surfacing, which is due to be delivered within the next week.

“Once the surfacing has been installed the final works can take place and we are hoping to be able to open the playground by October half term.

“In the meantime, until the works are completed, the site is closed off with metal fencing, which is checked regularly and maintained by our staff.”