FAMILIES are calling for the trustees of a new, lottery-funded £186,000 village hall to have a change of heart and let children play in the car park when it is not being used.

They say parents delivering children to Rushall School, which is close to a dangerous bend and almost next door to the village hall, should be allowed to use the car park.

But children who have taken their bikes, skateboards and roller skates to play on the smooth asphalt surface of the hall car park have been ordered out, say parents.

Father-of-five Neil Lyons said he was present when a member of the hall trustees told his children they were not allowed to play on car park.

Mr Lyons, an electrician, said he understood the hall, which was officially opened in February, received its lottery funding on condition that the car park was made available to the school.

It was perverse, he said, that children who attend the village school had been told not to ride or skate in the car park even when the hall is not in use.

Mr Lyons and his wife Jacqui said their children, aged between 14 and eight, and other village children had nowhere else with a smooth surface, apart from the main road running through the village, on which to play.

He said: "They can either use the road or the track which runs between Rushall and Charlton, which we call the 'poo path' because it is covered with poo from where people walk their dogs up there all the time."

As his children and their friends posed unchallenged for the Gazette photographer in the car park, Mr Lyons said: "All of these children go the village school. It's perfectly okay for their parents to park here, but the children cannot ride their bikes or use their skates here, apparently."

Mr Lyons said traffic sped through the village at 60mph. He added: "I phoned the county council and told them that if the children were not allowed to play in the car park then the road should be made safer. They told me they could not do anything until a child is hurt."

He said it had also been suggested that the children should use the school playground instead of the hall car park but said this was not allowed when the school was closed. He said: "They have nowhere to play that's what it comes down to."

Father-of-two Mick Green, a company director, said he had heard that children were told they could not use the hall car park. He added: "That's ridiculous because this is the only piece of Tarmac in the village which children can use."

Mr Lyons said he understood the hall trustees were concerned that their insurance did not cover children using the car park as a playground and added: "If that's the case why don't they insure themselves for the little bit extra it would cost to cover it."

Hall trustees chairman Ray Reilly was not available to comment on Wednesday and Jenney Fry, who handles the hall bookings, said she was aware of the situation but was unable to say anything.

PC Stuart Bishop, who is the beat officer for the Rushall area, said he was aware there are not many places in Rushall where children can play safely and would look into the matter.