WE seem to be hearing a lot about 'Grot Spots' and the progress made to eliminate them and funds available to tackle the problems.

I would like to draw to your attention to problems we have suffered silently for over five decades.

Every park in the St Helens borough has smooth, well tarmaced footpaths all of them well kept, that is except Queens Park.

The park was constructed over 100 years ago and has been open to the public ever since and the footpath along the Dilloway Street and Horace Street elevations has never received any repairs or surfacing since then. It was laid in the materials available in those days 'clinker cinders and rocks' and now after 100 years of erosion the clinker rocks are protruding above the surface as much as 50mm in clumps that make it impossible for children to ride their tricycles and bikes along this stretch without the risk of serious injury, anyone falling on these rocks could be marked for life.

My wife and I walk our dog through the park twice every day and one day she tripped over one of these rocks, if I had not been hold of her arm, she could have broken her hip for she landed on it bruising it.

On another elevation bordering Boundary Road/Lingholme Road the Tarmac which was laid 25years ago for the Queens Silver Jubilee visit it breaking up in large patches, in one part the original stone cobble are exposed creating another hazard for walkers and children alike.

The path from the main entrance to the car park is now used by vehicles, which the surface was not designed for and is rapidly breaking up despite a pathetic attempt to repair it about two years ago.

How could a council so blatantly ignore the problem for so long and get away without paying a penny compensation for injuries is beyond me.

About 20 years ago the council installed an all weather football pitch in the park and it was initially a success but a combination of neglect and vandalism made it necessary to relay the surface in tarmac, this has remained sound but the eight foot high fencing has suffered years of attacks by vandals and corrosion which has left it an eyesore and it is now considered a hazard by the council who again have done nothing to remedy the problem.

Perhaps it is too much to expect that Queens Park might receive the same attention that all the other parks enjoy, we can but live in hope.

W Foster, co-ordinator, Queens Park Neighbourhood Watch (full address supplied).