A council has been fined for safety failings after it ignored warnings from staff about a rotting flagpole, which collapsed and fractured the skull of a two-year-old girl in Otley.

The toddler had been playing in the park at Otley Memorial Garden with her mother in March last year when the 18ft flagpole suddenly toppled over.

The girl also suffered a broken foot and was in hospital for a week. It is thought she will need continuing checks at hospital for several years to come.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated and Leeds City Council pleaded guilty to breaching safety legislation at the city’s magistrates’ court last month.

Appearing at Leeds Crown Court yesterday for sentencing, the authority was fined £12,000 and ordered to pay £6,116 in costs. The court was told HSE found that as early as 2010 the grounds’ maintenance staff had warned the Council’s Bereavement Service, which manages the garden, of the pole’s decaying condition.

The warning was repeated in 2011 and led to the Council’s property team being asked to inspect the flagpole, although no action was taken. In November that year, an officer attended and agreed the flagpole was in need of repair and contacted Otley Town Council, which no responsibilities for the pole. HSE’s investigation identified that Leeds Council had no system for recording maintenance requests at the Memorial Garden in Otley or acting on issues raised.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Julian Franklin said: “This was an 18ft, heavy wooden flagpole that toppled without warning in a public garden. It is pure luck that this young child wasn’t killed.”