A TOWN council’s decision not to reopen its playparks due to ongoing coronavirus fears have caused division among residents.

Prudhoe Town Council’s planning, contract, and works committee agreed in July to keep the town’s play areas, including Highfield Park Junior and Toddler Play Areas, Castledene Play Area, West Mickley Play Area and The Copse Play Area, closed.

A spokeswoman for the council said: “The council agreed they could not make the play areas Covid-19 safe. Orders have been placed for signage, in line with control measures identified in site-specific risk assessments.

“The overriding factor in the decision to keep play areas closed was the council’s inability to monitor the use of play areas, or to enforce any of the recommended guidance.”

It follows a letter to the council from a concerned resident who asked that the play areas remain closed.

The unnamed resident wrote: “I’ve noticed when I’ve driven past West Wylam Park social distancing is non-existent in these areas.

“I have members of family who have been forced to shield and members of family who work for the NHS, the county councillors decision to reopen these is an insult to them and reeks of an effort to increase popularity amongst the young members of the community.”

However a mother, who asked to remain unnamed, is campaigning with others to reopen the parks.

She said: “I feel that parents should be the ones at this stage of Covid-19 to assess the risk and more damage is being done to the mental health of our children which is a bigger threat than Covid to them now.

“The council are being obstructive and instead of looking at how they can make it work they appear to want to follow the ‘guidance’ to the letter without applying common sense.

“They are only saying they will look again in September and not open for definite. By then, they have ensured that local children who don’t always have the means to travel to other park have missed out.

“Pretty much every park in the country is open apart from in Prudhoe. Eastwood and Tyne Riverside Park have opened and are being well used thanks to county councillor Gordon Stewart.”