Boy 'scarred for life' by anti-skater 'blades'

Finley Richards hit his head on one of the metal anti-skate studs in Manchester

A four-year-old boy was left with a headwound by a piece of metal sunk into a kerb to stop people skateboarding.

Finley Richards needed to go to A&E after tripping and banging his head on a "skatestopper" in Manchester's Cathedral Gardens.

His father Paul said the fittings - also known as "blades" - were "evil" and should be removed before any more accidents happened.

Manchester City Council said it was "reviewing the incident".

The fittings are installed to deter skateboarders from using urban areas

"It was very traumatic, there was lots of blood" Mr Richards said.

Mr Richards, from Didsbury, said there were no warnings about the fittings, which were "obviously very dangerous".

He said there were lots of other ways to deter skateboarders that were "far less likely to cause injury or "potentially life-changing or lethal accidents".

Finley is likely to have a "scar for the rest of his life" said his father, who has reported the skatestoppers to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The metal studs are installed on pavements in towns and cities around the UK to stop skaters from grinding on surfaces.

Like so-called anti-homeless spikes or studs on benches and in doorways, they are considered to be a form of hostile architecture.

A Manchester City Council spokesman said: "We never like to hear about any person getting hurt, whatever the circumstances.

"The Council has been made aware of an accident that occurred in Cathedral Gardens at an event earlier in September and the relevant departments are currently reviewing the incident."