Diana fountain to close again

The troubled Diana Memorial Fountain will be closed to the public again for vital safety repairs.

Metal bars will be fitted under the bridges which span the £3.6million fountain because of fears that children could become trapped under them.

The fountain has been a source of embarrassment since opening in the summer. Four visitors, including a mother and daughter, required an ambulance after slipping on the wet granite during its first two weeks, and another twisted her ankle slipping on damp grass next to the fountain.

Steel fencing was put up around the memorial and a rigid set of rules for visitors were imposed, enforced by six safety stewards. Members of the public are banned from walking in the water.

The latest works, for which Royal Parks chiefs have given no date, will mean the fountain's second extended closure.

Improvements will also include replacing the turf around the fountain, which became a mud bath after flooding and large numbers of visitors.

The new plans have come under fire from an expert who says if the organisers should shut the memorial altogether if they know it is dangerous.

Rory Coonan, , former head of architecture at the Arts Council and designer of Birmingham's Victoria Square fountain, said: "It's appalling. It should not be open if they are aware of these risks."

Mr Coonan says the presence of safety stewards highlights the failure of the design. He said: "Can you imagine such stewards being necessary at Trafalgar Square? A fountain that requires that level of supervision is not fit for its purpose. Royal Parks say they have had a risk assessment carried out, but that will be of little comfort to anyone who's injured. It's time for them to come clean about this design and what it has cost the public."

A Royal Parks spokesman said safety experts were still examining the memorial to determine what work would need to be done. He added: "No one has been injured on the fountain since the new management system was put in place."