A PLAY area at Edge End has closed and one at Worrall Hill has been to the brink as similar units throughout the Forest face whopping £10 million cover for employee liability.
The annual premiums, at around £1,000, are in addition to similar premiums for risk of accidents to children using the supervised play areas, and in many cases they are the financial straw that is breaking the camel's back.
Tragically many of the modern play areas for tots and young children – already costly because of the safety measures that have to be taken these days – have been erected after heroic efforts by communities to win lottery funding for equipment.
"In our case the employee liability demand has doubled our insurance," said Marigold Taylor, spokesperson for the Worrall Hill Play Area – two groups of swings and an adventure climbing area.
"We already faced big premiums for liability for the children and this extra demand is just to cover tahe people who work on the area, tidying it up and trimming hedges, that sort of thing – most are volunteers."
Luckily a local engineering firm had stepped in and provided half the cost of the premium, £500, to help the play area function for another year.
At Edge End, however, the play equipment has been taken down and has ceased to function after its organising committee fought hard to find sponsors for the insurance demand.