A family who went to a children's play centre in Swindon and claim they were bitten by insects on two separate occasions and are calling for the venue to urgently take action.
Rio Hamilton visited Jolly Roger Adventure play centre on Greenbridge Road with her mum, one year old daughter and her two nieces, aged four and two, on Friday, August 2 when her mum suddenly came up in several raised rashes on her leg, neck and arm.
Then when Rio, who has been visiting Jolly Roger since she was a child, returned several weeks later to take the young children for a day out during the summer holidays, her daughter and niece both developed a lumpy red rash on their faces.
Rio said: “It’s my local, so I want to go there again, but it’s so difficult because now you have the guilt factor of knowing you’ll have a great time but making sure they aren’t bitten.
“The first time it happened I spoke to a member of staff and they were quite blasé about it and didn’t really care.
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“I put a post up on Facebook and I had quite a few comments where people said it had happened to them, so we knew we weren’t the only ones.
“The balls in the ball pit do not look they have been cleaned and it’s neglected. There’s a thick layer of dust and bits of dry food in there. In the big kids area, there’s a bit at the back which is gated off where they must store all of their old stuff and that area is about three inches thick with dust.
“The machines are lathered in dust - it’s a perfect breeding ground for fleas and dust mites. They recently ripped up the main carpet, so I was thinking maybe there were dust mites and they have gone onto everything.
“Kids could have allergies and if it is fleas, it needs to be resolved. All it takes is for one child to be allergic to whatever’s biting them for it to cause a reaction, which could end up being life-threatening."
Furthermore, Rio said the food is often “atrocious” and her family have previously been served out of date cheese, ice lollies and stale bread.
A spokesperson for Jolly Roger Adventure said: “Firstly, we take all feedback regarding the safety and cleanliness of our venue extremely seriously, and we are committed to maintaining the highest standards for our guests. I want to assure you that the claims you've mentioned do not align with the level of care and attention we strive to provide.
“We have not received any complaints related to bug bites or similar incidents in the baby area or elsewhere in the venue. We conduct regular cleaning and maintenance to ensure a safe and hygienic environment, and we will be investigating this immediately.
“Our cleaning protocols are thorough, and we perform routine sanitation throughout the venue, especially in areas like the baby section. If there are concerns about dust or sanitation, we take immediate steps to address them and review our cleaning procedures to prevent any such issues from occurring.
“The safety of our visitors, particularly children, is our top priority. We regularly inspect our equipment to ensure they meet safety standards. If any of the machines or toys have been identified as potential hazards, we take immediate steps to replace or repair them where necessary.
“We have stringent policies regarding the quality of the food we serve. We are surprised by the claim of being served expired products, as we routinely check our stock to ensure everything is within date. Nevertheless, we will be investigating this matter further with our staff to ensure such incidents are avoided.”
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