SLIDES, swings and roundabouts could be removed from up to 20 play areas because of the soaring cost of vandalism.

Blackburn with Darwen Council plans to concentrate its cash on around 26 heavily-used sites and strip out the swings, roundabouts and slides from other less popular ones.

Environment boss, Cllr Jim Smith said between 10 and 20 of the 'equipped play areas', a quarter of the total, would be turned into open surface play areas for young people to ride bikes, play football or run around.

Cllr Smith said vandalism was costing Blackburn with Darwen Council 'tens of thousands of pounds a year' in repairs before its executive board debates a special report on the issue tonight.

The borough has already cleared eight play areas, including four in 2013 alone, because of vandalism.

Cllr John Slater, borough Conservative group leader, backed the 'Equipped Play Assets Strategy 2017-2022' but said: "They have to make sure they remove the equipment from the right play areas in the right places.

"We shall be monitoring them very closely."

Sudell Liberal Democrat and Mayor of Darwen Town Council, Cllr Roy Davies, said: "The council should bot be ripping out equipment from children's play areas.

"Instead they should be using money from housing developers to improve them, make them secure and vandal proof installing CCTV cameras."

The council owns and runs 79 children's play areas while social housing provider Twin Valley Homes has another 33.

Under the strategy, 26 will be designated Destination Equipped Areas for Play (DEAPS) and Neighbourhood Areas for Play (NEAPS) with cash channelled into their improvement and security.

The former will have 10 or more pieces of equipment and the latter eight or nine.

The report said: "The aim of the strategy is to have a series of well-equipped, well-maintained play areas in the right locations for the young people of Blackburn with Darwen for which the local authority has the resources to sustain.”

The remaining 53 will be reviewed in terms of usage, popularity, security and risk of vandalism.

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They will be sites with fewer pieces of equipment, serve smaller catchments, generally of a lower standard due to vandalism, attract anti-social behaviour and near the strategic play areas.

In June, vandals damaged equipment aimed at under-threes at Blackburn’s Corporation and Witton Parks.

In 2013 Bank Top playground in Nab Lane, Blackburn, its equivalents in Griffin Park and East Street Park in Mill Hill and Burnley Road play area in Whitebirk had their equipment removed because of vandalism.

And earlier this year a new £50,000 play area in Roe Lee Park, financed by a contribution from a nearby housing development, was hit by arsonists who attempted to set fire to the surface and equipment just 48 hours after it opened.

Cllr Smith said: "This is about concentrating our limited resources on the play areas that are most used.

"We will remove the equipment from those that are repeatedly vandalised and less popular especially a former council estates where residents are fed up with the nuisance and anti-social behaviour.

"The play areas will become open play spaces where children can ride bikes, kick a ball around or run about.

"Vandalism of play areas costs the council tens of thousands of pounds a year it cannot afford.

"We will be looking improving the strategic play areas, installing new equipment and enhancing security possibly CCTV cameras.

"There will be careful consultation with residents about the strategy and we will liaise with the Together Housing Group, which owns Twin Valley Homes, about how this affects their play areas and to ensure there is adequate provision in each part of the borough."

Cllr Davies, who has campaigned to keep the equipped play area in Olive Lane Park in Darwen, said: "The council is mismanaging this whole issue.

"They recently waived a £73,000 Section 106 from a housing development in Sudell which could have paid for upgrading all three play areas in the ward.

"The council should be installing CCTV cameras at play areas which have proved effective at Olive Lane.

"I am very concerned and despite assurances about Olive Lane, I am still afraid its equipment could be removed."

Cllr Smith said: "We have no plans to remove equipment from Olive Lane Park and sometimes getting new homes built is more important than Section 106 cash."

Andy Nash, Director of Landscape Services at Together Housing Group,: “We check our play areas on a regular basis and, if we find that something is faulty or damaged, take action to repair or remove it or close it off temporarily while repairs take place. However, we have no plans to remove any of our play equipment at the moment.

“Together Housing Group have always enjoyed a strong relationship with Blackburn with Darwen Council and welcome any conversation on how we can work together to keep Blackburn with Darwen a wonderful place to live.”