Balfour Beatty and council criticised over demolition of playground in Wales

Families in Rhyl decry ‘shameful’ lack of consultation before removal of Drift Park play area to make way for flood defences

The developer Balfour Beatty and Denbighshire council have been accused of ignoring the needs of children by ripping out a playground in the deprived Welsh town of Rhyl to make way for a £92m flood defence project.

People in the town told the Guardian they were given no warning that the popular Drift Park playground would be removed, despite the consultation process having been carried out with global engineering consultants Mott MacDonald.