Police in the North West of England have issued an urgent warning after razor blades were found attached to the slide on a children's play park.
The horrific discovery was made by officers of Ormskirk and Burscough Police, who added that it was incredibly lucky that nobody was hurt. They found the razor blades at a playground at Winifred Lane, Aughton.
The police posted on Facebook to warn parents to be vigilant and keep an eye out for similar incidents.
Their post read: "URGENT ALERT: Parents, please be aware that razor blades/knife blades have been attached to the side of the children's slide at the Winifred Lane Play area in Aughton this morning.
The post continued: "We would ask everyone to be vigilant and check any play equipment before you let your child use it. Please report anything suspicious or any similar incidents to us by calling either 101 or Crimestoppers, 100% anonymously, on 0800 555111.
"If anyone has any information about this we'd urge them to contact us as soon as possible. Whoever did this could have caused serious injury to a child - please be assured we are fully investigating this matter."
Unsurprisingly, the news that people are leaving razor blades about at play parks has caused widespread outrage on the internet.
Former world champion boxer Tony Bellew, who is from not too far from the area where the discovery was made, tweeted his anger and sadness at the incident:
It's hard to disagree with his sentiments there.
Former Liverpool footballer Chris Kirkland also shared the news:
Horrible stuff. Let's hope the police can lay hands on the perpetrators as soon as possible.
Advert
Sadly, this is far from the first time razor blades have been used to harm unsuspecting children. In November last year, Leanne Anger bought a Fingerling puppet for six-year-old Lila on eBay, but found blood on the packaging and two razor blades taped to the box when it arrived.
There was no problem with the actual toy, but the grim discovery she made when opening the box made a lasting impression on the mum from Swindon, Wiltshire.
Leanne said: "My first thought was that someone had innocently left [the razor blades] there.
Advert
"The more I thought about it the more I became suspicious that it could not have been an accident. Someone had clearly cut themselves and bled into the box.
"I think it was one hundred per cent intentional. I didn't want to come to that conclusion but I couldn't ignore it.
"I just want people to be careful over the Christmas period when they are ordering their presents online. People need to be cautious because there are malicious people out there."
Stay safe out there, everyone.
Featured Image Credit: Facebook/Google MapsTopics: UK News
