Highland Council bans bouncy castles over health and safety

Highland Council says it has enactment a halt to the hiring of bouncy castles astatine its premises for wellness and information reasons.

The authorization besides said the immense size of its portion made it hard for its unit to get to venues to transportation retired thorough hazard assessments.

Inverness-based inflatables concern Mascot Madness Entertainment has challenged the assembly to afloat explicate its decision.

Highland Council said it recognised that inflatables, specified arsenic bouncy castles and slides, were a much-loved summation to section events.

But a spokesperson said that due to the fact that of concerns astir accidents the section authorization had enactment successful spot "a foreseeable intermission connected the hiring of inflatables".

It said hiring inflatables required thorough hazard assessments and prime checks by experienced staff.

The spokesperson said: "The world of our fantastic and dynamic scenery is that it's sizeable size, entree to immoderate locations and availability of due staff, creates challenges which mean that is not imaginable to transportation retired the checks needed, which hap aggregate times a twelvemonth crossed a immense property of implicit 200 schools.

"Therefore, until we person the structures successful spot to conscionable these requirements, a regrettable intermission volition beryllium placed connected the prosecute of inflatables."

The Highland Council country represents a 3rd of the onshore country of Scotland.

The spokesperson added: "We admit and convey our communities continued knowing successful this determination to safeguard attendees astatine our section events.

"We anticipation that families volition look guardant to their upcoming fairs, and bask the time with the different activities connected offer."

But Mascot Madness Entertainment has challenged the assembly to explicate erstwhile the impermanent prohibition was enactment successful place, however the determination was reached and however galore accidents it had recorded successful the region.

The business' Danielle Stewart said: "The section communities which we service are afloat down america and person a implicit deficiency of knowing towards this determination and firmly judge arsenic bash we that events are inactive capable to spell up safely with inflatables present.

"The effect truthful acold from members of the nationalist is that of daze and astonishment that this determination has been made and firmly judge that galore section events volition beryllium ruined by this."

She added: "We are presently fearing for the aboriginal of our business, and it besides means that kids are missing retired again."