Diana fountain closed again after falls

The Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain has suffered its third embarrassing closure - two weeks after it was opened by the Queen.

The water to the fountain in Hyde Park was switched off last night after three people - including a child - slipped on stone steps. The child received "a bump to the head" resulting in "some bleeding", but the injuries were not serious and all three were later discharged from hospital.

A Royal Parks spokesman said the fountain was turned off for health and safety reasons and would remain so while an investigation was carried out.

Thousands have visited the £3.6 million site since it was opened on 6 July but it has been plagued by trouble. Last week, a blocked pump halted the water flow. A week before that, heavy rain and winds blocked the system with leaves, causing the monument to flood.

The fountain consists of a granite ring with water pouring into the structure and running in two directions. The three slipped at the same place on the east side of the source pool. Theo Moore, spokesman for the Royal Parks, said: "We immediately switched off the flow of water and will not be turning it back on until we are satisfied it is safe to do so.

"We are calling in the designers and the people who built this thing for us and saying, 'this is the situation, what's going on, how can we sort this out?'"