‘Like a beach away from the beach’ – Baldock splash pad resurfaced and set to reopen in May

The Baldock splash pad at Avenue Park, as it was last year. Photo: Harry Hubbard (Image: Archant)

The splash pad, in Avenue Park, is operated by North Herts District Council and is open to the public free of charge.

Baldock mum-of-two Sam Hemmings is among those excited to have the pad reopening.

She told the Comet: “It will be good to have the splash pad back open.

“It’s a great facility to have in Baldock in the summer, right at the park.

“It’s like a beach away from the beach with the sand there too – after playing in the water my little boy likes to dig in the sand.”

The splash park no longer has the decorative concrete boulders that it used to have.

A three-year-old boy lost his footing while stepping off one of the boulders last year and spent two nights in hospital with a suspected skull fracture – his family blamed overgrown algae.

Asked whether this is connected to the decision to now have a flat surface, without such embellishments, council leader Councillor Lynda Needham stressed the importance of safety.

She said: “The safety of our play equipment is of paramount importance to us, so to ensure the splash park was fully operational in time for May it was upgraded and resurfaced.”