IT will be all fun and games over the next two years as a quarter of a million pounds is spent on new play equipment at parks in Inverclyde.

Almost half of the money, £120,000, will be spent on accessible equipment so that children with disabilities will be able to join in the fun.

Play areas at Battery Park, Inverkip Community Hub, Gourock Walled Garden and Birkmyre Park in Kilmacolm already have accessible equipment, with more being installed at Boglestone in the Port.

A wider range of equipment will be fitted at these play areas and work will also be carried out to improve wheelchair access.

The overall number of parks which have accessible play equipment will also be increased.

The Rainbow Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) in Port Glasgow is set for a big upgrade with £90,000 set to be spent there.

It will be used to renew the fencing and gates, upgrade existing goal posts and basketball hoops and put a revamped playing surface in place.

Council staff will also meet with colleagues at River Clyde Homes with a view to installing a play area in the Broomhill area of Greenock.

A total of £40,000 has been set aside for this project.

Councillor Michael McCormick, convener of the environment and regeneration committee, said: “The council’s Play Areas Strategy has been delivering high quality outdoor play areas for local children since we started our refurbishment programme in 2010/11.

"This current investment programme will allow children with disabilities to enjoy playing outdoors and also playing with children who don’t have disabilities.

“Separately, nearly £170,000 in lottery funding has also been spent transforming an area of hard standing into a play area at St Michael Street although some £40,000 still needs to be spent by River Clyde Homes on cosmetic repairs to the nearby wall.”

There are currently 52 play areas in Inverclyde along with a series of ‘destination’ play areas within larger parks in Kilmacolm, Port Glasgow, Greenock and Gourock.

All new housing developments either include a play area or the developers need to provide the council with enough cash to build one nearby.