Are children safe on bouncy inflatables?

Ava-May Littleboy, three, was thrown off the blue bouncy trampoline, pictured in front of the slide

They are a mainstay of children's parties, but following the death of a little girl in Norfolk parents are asking how safe are inflatable trampolines and bouncy castles?

Three-year-old Ava-May Littleboy was thrown about 20ft in the air when the inflatable trampoline she was playing on exploded on Gorleston Beach, Norfolk, on Sunday.

The cause of the accident is being investigated, but the death - and that of another young girl on a bouncy castle in 2016 - has prompted calls for them to be temporarily banned.

There are an estimated 23 million uses of inflatable equipment every year in the UK and it is currently the height of the bouncing season.

But Sunday's tragedy has prompted many parents to worry whether their children are safe playing on them.

They have taken to social media and on Mumsnet while the website Parentkind said it had received many calls about the use of inflatables at summer events.

Ava-May Littleboy, aged three, was thrown from an inflatable trampoline at Gorleston beach, Norfolk

Mark Jerram, founder of the The British Inflatable Hirers Alliance, said there was a difference between the type of inflatable that exploded in Norfolk and a standard bouncy castle.

The former was "not a bouncy castle, but an inflatable trampoline - which is a sealed air unit," he said.

"These are very, very unusual in the UK," he said. "In fact I have only seen one of them and I have been in the industry since 1992.

"The main difference is with a bouncy castle you have air coming in through a fan or blower but it's constantly coming out through the seams.

"With a sealed air unit it's effectively a giant lilo. It's blown up and plugged and the children bounce on it and there's no movement of air in or out."

Reality Check: What are the rules on bouncy castles?

Mr Jerram said he would write to MP for Harlow Robert Halfon to ask him to rethink his call for a temporary ban on all inflatables.

"The type of inflatable that exploded in Norfolk is very rare," he said. "It's not a bouncy castle and to ban all bouncy castles threatens the livelihoods of thousands of safe operators across the whole of the UK."

Some have questioned whether the heat of the sun could have played a part in the fatal accident.

However, Mr Jerram said, while he could not comment on the exact circumstances, inflatables were safely used abroad "in far hotter climates than it was on that day on Gorleston beach".

He said inflatables in the UK were "tightly regulated" in accordance with the European Standard.

Summer Grant died after a bouncy castle flew away while she was still inside

Inflatables or bouncy castles have been linked to injuries before, however.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which is investigating the circumstances of Ava-May's death, warns on its website "accidents involving broken limbs and necks are not uncommon."

"The quality of construction, maintenance and operation of inflatable play equipment can be extremely variable," its website states.

Parents should look out for

• The attraction should be supervised by a responsible adult

• All anchorage points should be used and if situated on hard ground, mooring straps should be fixed to solid points

• Children should be instructed to remove shoes and sharp articles like buckles

• If the inflatable is not on soft ground mats should be positioned at the open side

• Children should not be allowed to climb on, nor jump off the walls of the inflatable

• Inflatables should be clean of food, liquid and bodily fluids

• If children are constantly knocking into each other the maximum load may be exceeded

Source: RoSPA

David Walker, RoSPA's leisure safety manager, said the charity was aware of previous problems such as bouncy castles rapidly deflating, structures falling over or being blown away and children falling or climbing off the edges on to the floor.

Inflatables which were not anchored correctly, or used in very windy conditions, were a factor in the some previous high profile incidents, he said.

The Norfolk tragedy came a fortnight after two fairground workers were jailed for manslaughter by gross negligence after a bouncy castle flew away with a young girl inside.

Summer Grant, seven, died after the inflatable was carried 300m across a park in Harlow, Essex, in March 2016.

A Health and Safety Executive investigation has begun into Ava-May's death.

An online appeal to raise money for a bench at Ava-May's local park at Somersham, near Ipswich, has raised almost £8,000.

In a statement, her family paid tribute to her "infectious laugh and smile [that] could light up even the darkest of rooms.

"Anyone that met her would not want to forget her."