THE safety of a popular skate park has been called into question.

It’s believed subsidence is raising up the tarmac at Leigh Skate Park, off Belton Gardens.

Inspectors from Leigh Town Council visited yesterday to inspect the damage, where subsidence has caused a large crack and lip to form near the main “bowl,” raising fears amongst parents that young people skateboarding there could injure themselves.

Repairs are likely to cost thousands of pounds, but despite the perceived risk, the council has not cordoned off the area, citing the park’s popularity and the likely difficulty with enforcement, despite town councillor Caroline Parker conveying parents’ fears at a meeting in February.

It follows the discovery of motorbike tyre tracks and churned up grass verges in the park last weekend, which Ms Parker, whose daughter is the park’s cleaner, blames on the late replacement of a concrete bollard at the park’s entrance, which was broken and later stolen.

She said: “What annoys me about this crack is it was reported about nine months ago and this bollard went missing six months ago, yet they are only now being addressed. Parents said a vehicle has been in the park, which was later identified as a motorbike, and that’s very dangerous because the park is used by little ones as well as older young people.

“While I accept even if the bollard was there, a motorbike could still squeeze through, this has never happened in the eight years the skate park has been open and a gap like that can often encourage youngsters passing by.”

Town clerk Paul Beckerson said inspectors had taken photographs and measurements of the crack to provide a quote for the repairs and a replacement bollard had been ordered.

He said: “We have a subsidence issue where the ramps are which makes them higher than the surrounding concrete so, when people try to use it, the skateboard hits the inch-high lip.

“It’s a health and safety issue because people could break their necks on it, so we can’t leave it like that, but it’s on the main bit that rises up to the bowl, so it would be a bit awkward and, whatever we put in place, people are likely to climb over it, so it was just a case of getting it done as quickly as possible.”