Play area slides tested in case they are too hot

Experts have been testing equipment in Jersey's playgrounds to ensure it does not get too hot for children to use.

Members of the Infrastructure Department visited the recently revamped St Aubin play area on Tuesday, using taped wires attached to thermometers to take the temperatures of the metal slides.

With Jersey Met Office forecasting temperatures on the island to rise as high as 32C (90F) later this week, government staff hinted the playground could close if the equipment was to get too hot.

A spokesperson for Infrastructure and Environment said the work was "initially focused on the new facility" but would be rolled out across its wider parks network "over the coming months".

They said: "With the opening of the new park in St Aubin, we are monitoring the temperature of children's play equipment, including slides, to ensure it remains safe to use during periods of hot weather like the recent heatwaves.

"This is part of our ongoing approach to managing the impacts of higher temperatures.

"As temperatures continue to rise more frequently, this forms part of our wider adaptation to the effects of climate change and extreme weather."

Speaking from Parade Gardens in St Hellier, parents agreed the slides could get extremely hot.

But they said it should be up to them whether they took their children to the park or not.

Mum Leanne Roberts said: "I was just checking on my little one a minute ago and I thought: 'Be careful, the slide is boiling hot. Especially with the metal.'

"I went (to the zoo) the other weekend and they actually have a cover over the slide, so I thought that was amazing."

She added: "I definitely think it's up to parents to decide.

"It does get extremely hot, so I think most people just avoid the parks if it's really hot."

Parent Jennifer Haskins agreed.

She said: "I think parents should measure the heat on the slides themselves. I don't think it's up to the government.

"If the slide was far too hot, I wouldn't put my child on it."

Asked whether any other measures could be included in parks to protected children from the hear, she added: "Make sure they've got plenty of shade.

"We're out in the air, which is great. We're getting fresh air, we're getting the sun, but definitely have some shade."

Another mum, who wished to stay anonymous, said: "It's very difficult to find places that are shaded for them.

"Why not put a shade in the first place."

St Aubin's play area officially re-opened with a ceremony on Saturday.

Infrastructure Minister Jonathan Renouf said the previous playground had become dilapidated and unsafe, adding the play area was an example of "the continuous programme of improvement in the public realm" he wanted to see.

Signs warning parents the play equipment could get very hot can now be seen at the site.

It comes just days after Jersey recorded the "hottest day on record for the island" on June 25, with temperatures reaching 39.3C (102.7F).

Temperatures are expected to remain hot this week.

Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk.