The Council's recreation department says it is fully aware of the flooding problems at a playground area at Bracken Bank. Good for them.

Before the autumn they are going to complete improvement work so the kick-around area can be used.Great!

Why should this issue be highlighted? Quite simply because it is nothing short of a scandal.

A group of youngsters at Bracken Bank spent three years - repeat three years - campaigning for a playground.

They wanted a safe area so they did not have to play football on the road or hang around dark street corners.

The group suggested land behind the Sue Belcher Centre off Bracken Bank Avenue, which could be surrounded by a fence and security lighting.

The caring and tenacious teenagers approached Keighley councillors, spoke with MP Ann Cryer, attended Neighbourhood Forum meetings, sat on community association gatherings, went to conferences and even carried out their own survey in a bid to make it happen.

This superb example of leadership and action by the young people, who were known as the Green Group, was rewarded when Keighley's SRB partnership board agreed to pay for the work and Bradford Council took on permanent responsibility for the play area's upkeep.

The scandal? The kick-around area has not been used since it was built two years ago - repeat two years ago.

Why? Because it was build on a field which regularly floods and the playground is under water for most of the time. Community leaders describe the playground as a muddy, smelly quagmire.

It appears everyone in the area knew it was a boggy piece of land. Councillor Steve Thomas says ever since day one they have had problems claiming the ground was never properly levelled.

Development worker Alison Robinson goes so far as saying that the land would have been better left as a field as at least they were able to play some games.

Why has it taken so long for action?

What has prompted action to be taken now?

Answers are needed to the obvious questions - for the sake of those youngsters who campaigned so tirelessly for the play area. They have been badly let down.

At least they can draw comfort from the fact that in 1999 they were rewarded with a trip to Bradford Ice Rink for their efforts.