Bedford play areas stay shut due to high infection rate

Bedford Borough Council said play parks were "a risk area for infection to be spread".

Children's play areas are to remain closed in a town due to its high coronavirus infection rates.

Bedford Borough Council said its play parks will be kept "locked and secured" while others across England are reopened on Saturday.

Councillor Charles Royden said the authority's "top priority is to keep people safe".

He said the council would "look again" at the decision after an investigation into the town's high infection rate.

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Figures show Bedford has England's sixth-highest infection rate overall since the start of the pandemic and the fifth highest for new infections recorded in the week to 21 June.

Updated signage will be placed on parks across the borough this week

The council said children's play areas were "a risk area for infection to be spread" and the decision to keep them closed was "taken to help slow the spread of the virus and keep people safe".

Liberal Democrat Mr Royden, portfolio holder for environment, said: "We know this will be disappointing for many families, and it is not a decision we have taken lightly.

"Our top priority is to keep people safe and help slow the spread of the virus and we are asking people to work with us, and respect this ongoing closure.

"When we have the outcome of the deep dive investigation with Public Health England and the Joint Biosecurity Centre, investigating why rates here are not falling as quickly as other areas, we will look again at this decision and see if it is safe to open our parks."

The council said it was continuing to ask people to stay home as much as possible