A MUM was shocked when her seven-year-old daughter almost picked up a Stanley knife left on the ground in a children’s play area.

Beverly Turner, from Haydon Wick, took her two daughters, aged seven and three, to the new aviation-themed Orbital play area and climbing frame.

But to her horror as she walked in to the play area, next to the gate, her elder daughter Annabelle noticed a Stanley knife left lying on the floor unattended with pots of chemicals and bags of blue astroturf.

Beverley told the Adver: “My two daughters Annabelle and Jessica wanted to try out the new Orbital play area that was just built, so I took them down there.

“After seeing another child with his dad I assumed it would be safe to go ahead," she explained.

“There weren’t any workmen there at all and there weren’t any out of orders signs or anything.

"But I noticed quite a bit of building work up by the gate.”

That’s when the mum saw the foldaway knife lying on the ground, fortunately the blade wasn’t showing.

“My little girl went up to it, and she was going to bend down a pick up the knife – Until I saw her I told her to put it down.

“I just think it’s very very appalling this type of equipment is left around, in front of a play area that is open to the public. I think it’s disgusting.”

“I thought they had finished for the day, and then half an hour later they turned up. I thought you just don’t do that.”

She said: “The girls were quite upset, because they couldn’t carry on and play.

"So I treated them to a hot chocolate from Costa while the workmen carried on working.

“I’m not happy at all, I know about health and safety being a cleaner. The were obviously not doing their jobs and haven’t been trained properly.

“We were doing a good girl behaviour chart and my daughters have been looking forward to it all week. But because they couldn’t play they were really upset.”

Beverley said she tried to contact Justin Tomlinson’s MP for North Swindon’s constituency office which sits inside the Orbital Shopping Park about the incident but did not get a reply.

Centre manager Jamie Turner told the Advertiser: “The play park was closed all day last Friday while some essential maintenance work was being undertaken and a new gate was installed.

"Safety barriers were erected however, it appears that a customer had walked around them to gain entry to the play area. Unfortunately some tools and sealed chemicals were left temporarily outside the play area."

"We apologise for this and we will assess using more secure barriers in the future.”