A POPULAR children’s splashpad in Kidderminster remains closed after incidents of fighting and staff being abused.

Wyre Forest District Council made the "difficult decision" to close the attraction on Sunday following incidents of aggressive and threatening behaviour by some users. 

The splashpad will stay closed until they can “guarantee safety of children and their staff.”

The council has said that instances of users not following the rules, abusing staff and ignoring restrictions has resulted in the closure. They also said that police have previously been called to the attraction after fights had broken out.

A spokesperson for the council said: “We've had hundreds of people coming to the park to use the splashpad, with many travelling from outside of the district.

“We had introduced a limit to the number of children using it and a queueing system to make it Covid safe.

“Recently we have had incidents where users are not following the rules, abusing staff and other users and ignoring the restrictions.

“At its worst there were fights and the police were called.

“We are now reviewing the operation of the splashpad. We are sorry but it will not reopen unless we can guarantee the safety of the children and our staff.

“It is a shame that a few irresponsible people can spoil the enjoyment of many others.”

People took to social media to share their frustration and disappointment following the closure. One said: "How sad is it that such a wonderful resource is being misused."

Another said: "How sad and disappointing it that for the kids."

Another said: "Why on Earth is there aggressive and threatening behaviour at a kids’ park?"