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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Emilia Bona

Girl, six, left on Zimmer frame after hitting concrete block in Pontins playground

A six-year-old girl was left on a Zimmer frame for the Easter holidays after breaking her leg when she hit a concrete block in a Pontins playground.

Little Ruby-Lea was at the Southport holiday park for a family holiday when she hurt herself sliding down a pole on a climbing frame.

Stepdad Lee Nugent, 39, claims staff offered Ruby-Lea a £10 Pontins teddy bear to try and comfort her as she screamed in pain.

Lee, who works in security at Jaguar Land Rover, claims the concrete base was completely exposed at the bottom of the climbing frame.

Ruby-Lea Leatherbarrow with Stepdad Lee Nugent. (Andrew Teebay/Liverpool Echo)

The family-of-four travelled from their home in Newton-le-Willows for a stay at the park during the school holidays.

Lee, along with his partner Megan Gilbert and daughters Ruby-Lea, six, and Winter-Rose, three, often visit the holiday camp for their holidays.

But during their most recent stay, Ruby-Lea ended up spending hours in Southport and Ormskirk Hospital getting her leg put in plaster.

Pontins, in Ainsdale, Southport. (Andrew Teebay/Liverpool Echo)

The schoolgirl was even left needing a Zimmer frame to enable her to walk as one of her legs was placed in a cast.

Lee said: "Yesterday we were leaving the chalet and getting ready to go to the beach and the kids wanted to go to the park.

"This was about 10.30am and within minutes she climbed the climbing frame and as she came down the pole she's hit the concrete base."

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The family claim management handed them an email address to send any complaints or concerns to.

However, Lee claims a maintenance worker at the park told him he feared the concrete base 'should have been covered' for safety reasons.

Lee and his family checked into the holiday park on Monday, April 15 and left shortly after Ruby-Lea broke her leg on Friday, April 18.

Ruby-Lea Leatherbarrow (Andrew Teebay/Liverpool Echo)

Little Ruby-Lea spent her final hours at the holiday park sat in a chair watching the other children playing while she couldn't walk.

Lee said doctors told Ruby-Lea her leg could take up to 12 weeks to heal, and she will be spending the rest of her Easter holidays using a Zimmer frame.

Britannia, who run Pontins in Southport , were approached for comment but did not respond by the time of publication.

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