FIREBUGS have put two childrens' playgrounds out of action in Nelson.

It will cost at least £400 to repair the damage to the sites at Mosley Street and at Trodger's Field, off Lomeshaye, and tight council budgets mean it will probably be next March before there is any cash to do the job.

Both fires were started deliberately. Bonfires were built beneath the swings and doused with petrol.

The worst damage is at Trodgers Field, a special area created because local youths had nowhere to play.

The fire was started underneath a large tyre swing capable of holding several children and was so severe that it destroyed the safety surface on the playground.

At Mosley Street, the fire was started under swings used by older children. It did not affect two cradle swings for toddlers.

Clerk of works Alan Binns said: "Some youngsters in the community are just out to destroy things, and it is a shame because they spoil it for the other children.

"We've had a lot of trouble in that area, especially on Trodger's Field, and it is a problem.

"We've no money in the budget to pay for new equipment and a new safety surface and there is no way it can be replaced until the next financial year."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.