A grandfather has expressed his disgust at Wiltshire Council for letting broken swings at a Malmesbury park go unrepaired for a month.

Derek Tilney, who lives opposite the Newnton Grove play area in Parklands, complained to the authority on October 9 after discovering the heavy metal shackle that connects the swings had collapsed.

Mr Tilney, who has four grandchildren, has padlocked the facilities himself to stop young people using it and hurting themselves.

He said: “Wiltshire Council said they were looking at it, but they have disappointed me terribly. It’s one of the main swings the children use all the time and it is a wonder that somebody wasn’t killed by it.

“It would have been a tragedy when it happened. It would have ‘brained’ anybody, not just a tot, because the shackle is very heavy.”

Mr Tilney was first alerted to the broken swing on October 8 by a concerned mother.

He said: “When you let your children play in the playground you are convinced that it’s safe.

“The children are down there all through the holidays because it is a wonderful play area but what I have in the back of my mind is that Wiltshire Council’s solution will probably be to take it down and do nothing.

“The shackle that fell is part of an odd design to stop the swing being thrown over the crossbar.”

The play park facilities were put in by Greensquare, then Westlea Housing Association, as part of a planning agreement.

Wiltshire Council has said it is looking into the complaint.