A playground which marks children with black dye has sparked a bitter dispute with contractors who are currently leaving taxpayers to foot the £100,000 repair bill. Council officers are at a stalemate as they try to seek compensation for the faulty playground, now left overgrown and no closer to being open for families in one of Brighton's most deprived areas. Children who used the playground return with black marks on their faces and hands due to marks from dye coming off the playground.
. The playground, now overgrown with weeds, is surrounded by a safety fence to discourage people from getting in - but this does not stop them (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus) The new Middle Park playground in Whitehawk was a cause for celebration for families living in the estate when it opened in 2021 with new swings, slides and a giant pirate ship for climbing. But this joy was short-lived.
Youngsters playing in the park were soon coming home with black faces and stained clothes with parents having to fork out money for new clothes amid the cost-of-living crisis. "At the time it was the only fit for purpose park in the area," said mum Evie Martin, who campaigned to get the refurbished playground installed since she moved back to Whitehawk in 2018. The playground has been left unused for so long weeds are growing through the surface (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus) It was built using section 106 funds - money supplied as part of the arrangement with developers at two new building pro.