Play safe plea after girl breaks her arm in Mirfield pub garden

Madison Oliver had been playing on a trampoline at the Thirsty Man when she bounced off and landed badly.

She was taken to Pinderfields Hospital where surgeons fitted a metal plate.

Now her dad and the pub owners are urging other parents to keep close watch on their children when using similar equipment.

The trampoline at the pub in Old Bank Road was fitted with safety netting.

But after the accident, staff realised unruly youngsters had damaged it during the course of the day.

Dad Jonathan Oliver said: “Kids will be kids and accidents happen, but in hindsight if I had seen the state of it, I wouldn’t have let her play on it.”

He said other children were already playing on the trampoline when they arrived last Thursday evening so he didn’t hesitate in letting Madison join in the fun.

“We were sat in the seating area next to the trampoline,” he said. “I had my back to the trampoline, but a lady on the next table saw Madison come out and hurt her arm,

“I blame myself partly for not checking the equipment, but you just assume that if they’re going to supply equipment, it’s going to be a suitable standards.”

Landlord Gerry Smith said the trampoline was brand new when they bought it two months ago in response to suggestions from customers about how to make the pub more family friendly.

He said: “The trampoline had proper safety netting and there were signs up saying parents must supervise their children.”

His wife, Lyn, said they had repeatedly made repairs, but the equipment was getting damaged almost as soon as it had been fixed.

“The children totally ripped the netting. We can’t be out there 24/7 watching them – it’s the parents’ responsibility,” she said.

“We’ve spent several hundreds on games for the garden. People have totally trashed it. They’ll have to bring their own entertainment now.”