A father of two has criticised renovations to a playground as “bonkers” after sand in the area was replaced with a rubber surface.

Work to improve the King’s Road playground on Brighton seafront has seen the sand taken away, but equipment in the play area is designed to be used with sand, which it now cannot do.

Thomas Medveczky said equipment in the playground is now “completely useless” and said children may hurt themselves on the new surface.

Thomas, 46, said: “The surface can be soft but very abrasive. Children will hurt themselves.

The Argus: The new surfaceThe new surface (Image: public)

“It used to be a great big sand pit and it was the only place you could play in sand.

“All the equipment is sand equipment, it’s been rendered useless as there’s no sand.

“It’s frustrating in a way. It’s not easy to play with kids on the beach and there’s less and less facilities.”

Thomas added that if he now wanted to take his children to similar facilities he would have to walk half an hour from his home in Seven Dials to Hove Lagoon with a four-year-old and a two-year-old.

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As part of renovations by the council, sand in the playground has been replaced by a rubber surface coloured to resemble sand.

In a statement on the Brighton and Hove City Council website, the council add that they are removing sandpits as they “do not have enough resources to manage and maintain these to ensure they remain safe”. 

The nearby paddling pool was closed in August in order to carry out repairs to the floor of the pool but is expected to re-open at the end of the month.

In response to the concerns about safety and facilities, a Brighton and Hove City Council spokesman said: “The replacement surface at the King’s Road playground is a rubber mulch safety surface that is compliant with European safety standards.

“We do not accept that it is dangerous for children.

“We also do not accept that the play equipment is obsolete. The equipment can still be used for climbing as designed.”