A newly opened playground in a town in Australia has proved to be a hazard for elderly people, with some locals falling into hard-to-see trampolines that are built into the ground.

The trampolines are so difficult to spot that an elderly man drove straight into one on his mobility scooter, becoming wedged before passers-by were able to extricate him.

The $A1.8 million (£920,000) playground in the Sydney suburb of Cronulla has been plagued with safety issues since it opened late last year.

A little boy fell through the springs of one of the two ground level trampolines almost up to his knees, local reports said.

An elderly lady who fell into one of the trampolines suffered bruises to her face, a broken nose, and a loss of taste and smell.

When the local council covered up the trampolines with metal grids last month, they became so hot in the southern hemisphere summer temperatures that children suffered burns to their bare legs.