Good news for Auckland kids - a programme to replace old T-Bar swings at city playgrounds amid child safety fears has swung into action.
The 87 T-bar swings at 69 sites around the city were installed at Auckland parks between 20 and 30 years ago. Metal fatigue and rust on the pipe which secures them into the ground is believed to be the cause of the problem.
New swings will be installed within the next few weeks at popular sites including Ellerslie Park, said the council's head of operational management and maintenance, Agnes McCormack.
"We are inspecting the region's T-bar swings for metal fatigue," she said. "We are replacing swings where we have found signs of stress or fatigue with new swings that aren't vulnerable to these stresses.
"We are reinstalling swings where there are no signs of stress or fatigue. The T-bar swings in Ellerslie Park were checked and found to be safe, so they will be reinstalled within the next couple of weeks."