Dad built unauthorised Kirkby play area for 'bored kids'

A father who installed an unauthorised children's play area on public land said the initial idea came because he wanted to give "bored kids" something to do. Lewellyn Mitchell built three sets of swings, a slide and a trampolines on a council-owned grassy field in Tower Hill, Kirkby, close to Pingwood Park. The play area sparked a big response - including messages of support for Mitchell - after Knowsley Council posted a statement on Facebook warning parents that no official safety checks had taken place. Mitchell who lives next to the grassy field on Winmoss Drive, said: "I wasn't expecting this at all, I really wasn't." The 45-year-old, originally from South Africa, said a couple of months ago he was contacted by a friend who owns a furniture shop, who said he was overstocked and asked if Mitchell would like some swings for his own children. "I got myself a container and put it in there," Mitchell said. "And then one day my daughter asked, 'can we put a swing up on the field just for the end of the fence?' "I put two swings up, and then more kids came around to play so they were standing waiting for them. "So I ended up installing another one and another one, and then I've done t