A COLLECTION of unused children’s playground equipment will get a new lease of life at another park.

Swings, slides and see-saws will be uprooted from Partridge Hill Park, Padiham, and transferred to Hargrove Park in the town.

This comes as calls were made by Cllr Alan Hosker to remove the equipment after the site’s closure more than 15 months ago.

It was fenced off from use after a minor landslip caused the site to be deemed unsafe by Burnley Council.

Cllr Hosker, who represents Hapton on Burnley Council, said he was made aware of the play equipment by people in the ward.

He said: “If the slides and other pieces are going to be sat there behind a locked gate then they should be put to good use.

“They should either be reopened or moved elsewhere.

“The site at Hargrove is ideal because residents up there do not have any children’s play areas nearby.

“It would massively improve that area so youngsters would have somewhere nice to play.

“I have raised the issue with the council’s park team to get the equipment removed.

“I know it is not my ward, but it would only be fair for the equipment to remain in the Gawthorpe ward and its important for those people to not lose it.

The council maintains more than 500 hectares of open land with several play areas.

Deputy leader of the council, Cllr John Harbour,who represents the ward covering the parks, said: “It has been closed for more than 15 months due to safety concerns.

“There’s land at the back of the site that has slipped away.

“We are hoping to find funds to refurbish the whole site but we do not have that at the moment.

“We are looking to relocate the equipment to Hargrove Park.

“It will be properly refurbished and then installed at a later date.

“We have a lot of amazing children’s play areas, such as the site near the baths in Park Road, which is a five minute walk from Partridge Hill."

“The Partridge Hill site will remain closed for the time being until funds can be found to do something about it.

“It is better for everyone to have the equipment used properly rather than it sat behind a locked gate.

“We know it is not ideal, but it is the best we can do in the difficult circumstances we are facing.”