Aberystwyth Town Council has announced that council owned playgrounds in the town and the surrounding area will not be opening “for some time”.

First Minister Mark Drakeford announced last week that all playgrounds, funfairs and community centres in Wales could reopen from Monday, 20 July.

However, Aberystwyth mayor Cllr Charlie Kingsbury said there are “currently no plans” to reopen council-owned playgrounds in the town, as the council doesn’t have the resources to guarantee the safety of users. But the situation will remain under review.

Cllr Kingsbury added: “The situation regarding the opening of the parks will be under constant review but the priority must be minimising any health risk they might post with regards to the contamination of surfaces.

“As such there are currently no plans to open the playgrounds until such a time as we can guarantee the safety of their users.

“North Road Park and Parc Kronberg do however remain open, since there is a smaller risk of infection in these spaces.”

The parks that will remain closed until further notice are Penparcau Play Park, Castle Playground, and the Park Avenue playground.

In his statement on Friday, Mr Drakeford said while the changes to guidelines allow for parks to open, “it does not require them to".

In a statement published by Frank Atherton, chief medical officer for the Welsh Government, he stated: “I recommend that the proposed amendments are adopted for playgrounds, outdoor gyms and funfairs alongside the planned mitigations; regular cleaning, signage and specific guidance on reduced capacity limits, physical distancing and good hygiene.

“Guidance should also outline the procedure for staff training where applicable and links to the Test Trace Protect programme.”

Cllr Kingsbury responded to the statement: “Given this, the town council would need support from Ceredigion County Council or Welsh Government to satisfy the conditions of reopening.”

He added: “The town council doesn’t presently have the resources to ensure that equipment can be cleaned regularly enough to guarantee the safety of residents and visitors, so in accordance with Welsh Government guidelines we won’t be opening these playgrounds for some time.”