A FAMILY who got locked in a park say they were forced to escape through a gap in a fence after a 24-hour helpline was “closed”.

A parent got stuck in Castle Park with their young son shortly after the gates were locked at the park in Colchester city centre.

Their partner took to social media to share their ordeal, saying they weren’t able to contact anyone on the advertised 24-hour helpline, instead hearing a recorded message saying the “office was closed”.

“Luckily I could rush to the park [about 30 minutes later] and we passed the pram over the fence,” they wrote.

“Some lovely teenagers showed us a small gap in the fence and we managed to push our son through to the other side.”

Gazette: The park is home to Colchester CastleThe park is home to Colchester Castle (Image: Roy Hughes)

“Is there no helpline if you’re stuck in there?” they questioned. “What an adventure.”

What does Colchester Council say?

Colchester Council has now apologised after an investigation found there was an issue with the helpline.

A spokesman for the authority said: “We are aware of the incident that occurred recently where two individuals were unintentionally locked in Castle Park after closing hours. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this caused.

“We identified an issue where the phone number displayed for the 24-hour helpline was not forwarding calls correctly after hours.

“This has been rectified, and the correct helpline number is now available.”

The council is now reviewing its procedures to avoid similar incidents from happening again.

The spokesman added: “Our park team is meeting with park security to review the current locking procedures for Castle Park. This review aims to identify ways to minimise the risk of similar incidents in the future.

“We understand that despite current protocols of announcing closures and having staff linger at the gate, situations can arise where visitors are unintentionally missed.

“For the benefit of all visitors, we would like to reiterate that park opening times are clearly displayed on all entrance gates.

“We encourage everyone to familiarise themselves with these times to avoid any inconvenience.

“We appreciate the feedback and are committed to continuously improving our park management procedures to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all visitors.”