Trampoline attractions are coming under fire for the number of reported injuries despite the introduction of a new code of conduct.
A report in The Guardian says more than 300 ambulances were called to trampoline parks in the UK in a year, according to figures obtained by the BBC. One park, Flip Out Stoke, called out an ambulance an average of more than once a week, and its parent company is the subject of a series of law suits.
Trampolining has exploded in popularity since the first park opened in 2014. There are now more than 140 in the UK, which are visited by millions each year.
The statistics, acquired by BBC 5 Live’s Daily programme via freedom of information requests, give a snapshot of call-outs to about three dozen parks in the 12 months to April 2016. Thirteen ambulance trusts across the UK confirmed that during that period, 30 parks required 315 ambulance call-outs.
Suspected broken limbs were the top reason for call-outs, with broken legs the most common. The other top five injuries were to the spine, head, back and foot.
The reports comes after the British Standards Institution, working with the International Association of Trampoline Parks (IATP) launched a British Standards Institution Publicly Available Standard (PAS) for the first time.
The standards specification offers guidance for the construction of a fixed indoor trampoline park, as well as covering day-to-day park operating and maintenance requirements.