A GORSE Hill woman who claims she was told her children could not play outdoors, because they were disturbing a local retirement community, has hit out at the council’s ‘unwillingness’ to give them a space to express themselves.

Emma Price, 27, a sales assistant who lives in council housing in Hinton Street, said she was told by her housing warden that her kids made too much noise to be allowed to play on the green outside her house and would have to stay indoors.

Swindon Borough Council has disputed the claim that she was asked to not let her children play outdoors and said that its concerns were for the children’s safety.

Emma said: “Because they make too much noise, [the warden] wants to put a ban on them playing outdoors. Obviously kids make noise: they shout, they scream. She doesn’t want them to play on the green. We’ve been here seven years, and it’s near enough every summer time.”

With her back garden too small for her children to run around in, Emma allowed them to use the green outdoors. She is reluctant to take them too far from home, as her eldest is diabetic and keeps her emergency safety equipment in the house.

She has asked to be moved to accommodation where her two daughters, aged 12 and six, can play freely, but has been told she is ineligible for a move because her current property constitutes suitable accommodation.

There are also other things dissuading her from taking her children to play further afield, she said.

“I would love to take my kids to the park, but one has drug users and drinkers in there, and the other has older kids swearing”.

Emma also finds it hard to believe that the complaints originate from the retirement home. She said: “Obviously, I speak to some of the elderly people who are in there. I’ve not been told by one of the residents in there so far, it just comes from the warden.

“They enjoy watching the kids play – I’ve been told that by the residents. I’ve not been told once by one of the residents that they make too much noise.”

A Swindon Borough Council spokesman said: “We are not in the habit of spoiling children’s fun especially when it involves playing outside in local neighbourhoods.

“It is why we are right behind the Playing Out initiative, which has so far proved to be extremely popular with children in Penhill and Toothill.

“We have not asked Ms Price to stop her children from playing outside, but a number of her neighbours have raised concerns about the safety of her youngest daughter who has been playing next to nearby roads and car parks.

“We have also received complaints about her daughter’s high-pitched screaming. As a result, we have requested that Ms Price be mindful of this when her children play outside in future.”