A grieving family has criticised Bradford Council for failing to provide enough skateboarding areas for children after their nine-year-old son was killed.

The parents of Ryan Harrison, who died after his skateboard collided with a bus, said their lives would never be the same again after the death of their only son.

And Andrew and Caroline Harrison, of Carr Bottom Avenue, Bankfoot, have criticised the Council which they claim needs to spend more money on play areas for children around the district.

Andrew Harrison, 37, who also has a two-year-old daughter Lauren, said: "Nowhere is safe for our children to play anymore. Where can they go?"

"This is a tragic accident that has cost us the life of our son.

"Ryan was our pride and joy, he was our best friend, and time will never heal our loss.

"The Council has wasted thousands of pounds on things like Centenary Square but yet there are hundreds of children forced to play out on the street because there's nowhere for them to go.

"Ryan had a skateboard for four years and last year was the first time he was allowed outside with it. We only ever let him play outside the house where we could keep an eye on him.

"It's difficult for the children who are all into in-line skating and skateboarding.

"As parents you can't keep them in but there's so much traffic on the roads."

The Harrisons have echoed calls by the coroner, who recorded a verdict of accidental death at an inquest into the accident which happened in Brownroyd Hill in August.

Ryan suffered head injuries and died at the scene after his skateboard came out of a steep snicket into the main road.

Coroner Roger Whittaker said there was a lack of facilities for skateboarding in the area and he would be writing to the local authority.

"Ryan wasn't that good on his skateboard and he couldn't really stand up on it.

"It was just one of those crazes that the children were going through," said Mr Harrison.

"On the night he died, Ryan begged to stay out for five more minutes. It was the summer holidays and it had been raining all day. We didn't even realise he had his skateboard with him."

Mr Harrison, a postman, said family members had been devastated by the tragedy but were hopeful that something positive could come out of it.

"It's early days yet but my wife and I are determined that there should be more places particularly for younger children to play on skates and boards in safety away from the traffic," he said.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.