PRUDHOE Town Council is at loggerheads with contractors over the £80,000 makeover of Highfield Park.

In April the town council secured funding for the project to give the park’s play areas a makeover.

Half was set aside from its own annual budget, £33,368 was won through an application to Northumberland County Council housing developer fund and the remaining £7,000 made up from county councillor Eileen Burt’s capital small scheme allowance.

It was hoped that the new look toddler and junior play parks would be installed and ready by July, in time for the summer holidays.

But the town council did not announce the opening of the new look play areas until early September.

And now it seems that the town council is in dispute with contractors Sutcliffe Play.

The issue was discussed at the latest meeting of the planning contract and works committee.

Clerk Richard Whinney reported after completing the works the contractor had ‘failed to clear away the debris left by the works, especially in respect of the new soft impact play surfacing.’

It was agreed to liaise with the contractor to express ‘dissatisfaction’ with the state the play areas had been left in and the ‘considerable delay’ in completing the scheme.

But at the latest meeting of the town council, mayor Eileen Burt told councillors that the bill for the works had yet to be paid. She said that the contractors had issued an apology and that a meeting was arranged to discuss the matter.

“We’re still under discussion with them about some of the work and the way it was left,” Coun. Burt said. “But we’re looking for a lot more than an apology.”