THE mum of the schoolgirl injured when a swing at the Maer Play Trail fell on her has defended her daughter.

The play trail was closed after the teenage girl was injured when part of a frame supporting a swing fell on her.

She suffered bruising, but was not seriously injured but her mother, who did not wish to be identified, said her daughter had been unfairly vilified.

She said: “It wasn’t her fault. She had only been using it for a few minutes when it just fell on her.

“I have been told by the council that, unless it says it is only for the use of children, anyone can use it as long as they are responsible.

“She isn’t very heavy and parents go on those swings with their kids all the time and it’s not fair to say she was doing anything wrong.”

A council spokesman confirmed that the injured girl didn’t damage the swing and was using it responsibly:

“The damage had been caused by someone else vandalising the swing and the teenage girl was unfortunate to be the next person to play on it.”

He said that there was ‘deliberately’ no age limit on use of the play trail in an effort to encourage as many people to use and enjoy it as possible.

But he added “However, it goes without saying that we would expect people to exercise common sense and not abuse the equipment in any way – either by deliberately damaging it or using it inappropriately.

“You would not fix a sign to every street lamp warning people not to climb it – as it is obvious that this would be a silly thing to do. You have to trust the public to take some responsibility for their own safety.”