A play park that had a £100,000 makeover needs extra work after becoming water-logged.

The area at Hartsholme Park, Lincoln, has become wet and muddy because there is not enough drainage.

While it is natural for children to get muddy while playing out, it is not just the youngsters who are getting caked in dirt – the rides are too.

It comes despite a £100,000 upgrade to the park by the City of Lincoln Council in September 2010.

And parents have raised their concerns about safety of the park.

Engineer Liam Julian, 25, of Bunkers Hill, Lincoln, who visits the park with his son Jacob, 2, said: "You don't want kids to be falling into the mud but at the end of the day kids are kids and they do get mucky.

"I would rather this play area wasn't like it is because at the moment there's more risk of them falling over."

Dad-of-two Darren Atkinson, 36, a sales manager who lives in Bracebridge Heath, said: "We come here to play just about every weekend and for the life of me I cannot understand why they left the walkway areas are unprotected.

"It becomes a carpet of mud and all the rides get muddy."

Louise Gladwin, 32, mum of Liam, two, and Daniel, six, who lives in Hartsholme, said: "It is a bit slippery and it will be safer when they improve drainage."

Now the authority has revealed plans to dig a slit trench through the middle of the park and fill it with porous material to improve drainage.

The problem was raised at a city council meeting by Hartsholme member Ron Hills.

The Conservative councillor told Labour's recreation executive member Donald Nannestad that parents had raised the issue with him and asked what would be done about it.

Councillor Nannestad said the problem would be fixed in the next few weeks.

"Part of the problem is that the play area has been a victim of its own success," said Councillor Nannestad.

"The heavy usage means there's little or no grass.

"It is proposed to dig a deep slit trench all along the centre of the play area and back-fill it with a porous material.

"Surface water should be able to permeate through the trench and into the subsoil and so drain the site."

Much of the surface of the play area consists of grass reinforced with plastic mesh.

Councillor Nannestad said this was seen as a cheaper alternative to the £2,500 annual cost of topping up the bark chips, which happened previously.