THE family of a little boy who is confined to a wheelchair were left stunned when council workers forced him to leave the popular splashpad at a Worcester park for fear of contamination.

Pam Stevens, of Rodborough Close, Warndon, Worcester, took her five-year-old nephew Troy Rawlings, who suffers from spina bifida, to Gheluvelt Park on Bank Holiday Monday to soak up the sunshine. She was joined by her two children, her mum, sister and her sister’s four children for a family outing.

Mrs Stevens said a sign above the splashpad said no bikes, no skateboards and no prams, but said nothing about wheelchairs.

However, Worcester City Council said the ban on “wheels” in the splashpad was to prevent contamination. Mrs Stevens said: “We all went down there because it was a nice day.

“We pushed Troy into the fountains so he could enjoy them but the man came over and told us we would contaminate the water.

“Troy cannot walk, he’s paralysed. It doesn’t say ‘no wheelchairs’ on the sign.

“At the end of the day, you can take a baby out of the pram but cannot take the child out of a wheelchair and expect him to stand there.

“We would have had to sit him down, but there’s lots of kids. They could have stood on him.”

Mrs Stevens said all the children were having fun together in the splashpad before they were told to get out.

“They were in there less than five minutes, he was loving it,” she said. “They should make it specific on those signs.”

A spokesperson for Worcester City Council said: “We’re very sorry if any distress has been caused to the family.

“The splashpad is a hugely popular facility and we’re keen that everyone is able to enjoy it.

“The ban on wheels in the splashpad is purely to prevent dirt from contaminating the area and prevent damage to the surface.

“Our staff had to make a difficult decision in this case and were acting with the best intentions.

“However, we would like to talk to the family about what happened and would urge them to contact us.”