Part of a £400,000 play park branded a "danger zone" has been cordoned off amid safety concerns - sparking anger among some parents.

Ashford Borough Council (ABC) has fenced off a section of Central Park in Park Farm - including a seven-foot-high bridge and slide.

The revamped site only opened in November after authority bosses added new equipment and an outdoor gym.

But ABC announced yesterday that part of the facility will be out of action until further notice, leading to an angry response from some residents.

In a statement, the authority said: "Following safety concerns, we have taken the decision to temporarily fence off an item of play equipment to remove it from use at Central Park, Park Farm, play area until further notice.

"In order to offer reassurance we can confirm that all play equipment installations are thoroughly checked and certificated prior to commissioning, and this action is a precautionary measure whilst we investigate accordingly.

"The play area and other equipment at Central Park remains open and accessible.

"However children should be appropriately supervised on all equipment according to their age and individual ability.

"Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience."

Several parents have disagreed with the decision, saying there is nothing wrong with the play area and the high bridge within it.

One said: “If my extremely clumsy four-year-old (supervised) could go over it with no issues then anyone can. Seems the minority have won though.”

Another parent said: “Unbelievable. Children have accidents. Playgrounds should be treated as sporting areas and appropriate care taken as all sports have risks.”

Earlier this year, Andrew Stott - a parent who lives in Park Farm - said his number one concern was the high bridge.

He feared children would slip through the "huge gaps" and says he is disappointed ABC did not take action sooner.

"I am quite upset and disappointed with the council," he said.

"They should have rectified it in the first place when the concern came through initially.

"I am a strong believer that prevention is better than cure and we did try to prevent an accident from happening.

"I am quite upset about it because it is children's safety.

'We are aware of concerns expressed by some parents...'

"I think it will put people off using the park now and people will be a lot more cautious."

In a statement, an ABC spokesman said the authority is assessing the site.

"We are aware of concerns expressed by some parents about the safety of one piece of equipment at the Central Park play area," a spokesperson said.

"We have taken the precaution to temporarily fence off this piece of equipment while we do a review."