CHIPPENHAM’S new £85,000 Splashpad opened on Monday and was an instant hit with youngsters.

The children’s water facility in John Coles Park was switched on for the first time on the bank holiday ready for the half-term holiday.

The splashpad for children up to age of 12 is fully accessible for children with disabilities and mobility issues.

It will be opened officially at a beach-themed community event in the park on July 4 alongside ChippFest 2015’s Rockin’ in the Park day.

Chippenham Town Council deputy chief executive Adrian Jones said: “The Splashpad is a great addition to the children’s facilities in John Coles Park. It’s been lovely to see children so excited and enthusiastic about it and having such a good time.

“We’ve been lucky with the weather this half-term so the Splashpad has been busy every day.

“We’re now looking forward to a summer of fun for our younger residents and their families.”

Parents are also equally happy with the park’s new feature. Mum Carly Brennen, 26, has taken six-year-old daughter Lilly May to the Splashpad every day for the past three days.

She said: “I think it is an absolutely brilliant facility and I like that it is enclosed. As it is right on our doorstep it replaces going to the beach for us and I think it really brings our town up.”

There has also been a huge interest in the splashpad online with more than 28,000 people accessing posts on Chippenham Town Council’s Facebook and Twitter feeds to follow the progress of the build.

The feature has been funded by £45,000 from the town council, a £5,000 grant from Chippenham Borough Lands Charity and £45,089 of 106 funding from developers building in the town.

Chippenham Town Council said the splashpad is a major addition to the town centre park, which attracts around 1,500 people a day on summer weekends.