Town halls to snub 'compensation culture'

Town hall chiefs have called on parents to shake off Britain's 'cotton wool culture', as local authorities press on with the development of thousands of outdoor adventure playgrounds.

Members of the Local Government Association (LGA) pledged not to bow to the threat of 'compensation culture', despite supporting many of the bans on traditional games in place - because of health and safety fears.

More than 3,500 playgrounds are set to be built under the LGA scheme.

In 2006, 1,000 regulations and 33 laws were introduced designed to reduce the potential risks faced by youngsters and in response to increased legal proceedings being initiated by children's parents.

According to a Natural England survey, one in ten children play regularly in parks and fields.