AN INVESTIGATION is under way after a toddler squeezed through railings and fell 12 ft on to a concrete staircase in a York council flat.

The 20-month-old escaped serious injury after managing to climb through the nine-inch gap in railings at flats in the Kingsway West area of the city.

The incident provoked a call for “prompt action” by City of York Council to carry out a review of its older flats to asses the safety of its railings.

Coun Tracey Simpson-Laing, Labour spokesperson for housing, said under current housing regulations, the railings which the child fell through would be illegal.

She said: “I was called to look at the top railing and stair rail of a second floor flat in the west area of the city last week and was shocked to see how low the top landing rail was and the large gaps in between the rails themselves.

“The nine-inch gap between the end landing rail and first stair rail under current building regulations would be illegal, as would be the height of the top railing. “It is fortunate the small child was not hurt when it fell through the railings and landed on the flight of concrete steps below.

“Many of these properties were built in the 50s and 60s and design lessons have been learnt since then.

“Yes there will be a cost if work needs doing elsewhere across the city, but safety should always come first, especially where children are concerned”.

The railings in question have since been boarded up to close the gaps, but Coun Simpson-Laing said she hoped senior council managers would recognise that similar properties need surveying and action taken “as a matter of urgency”.

A spokesperson for City of York Council said: “We can confirm that following the reporting of the incident, temporary works have been carried out to the staircase in question. A full investigation is being undertaken which includes the inspection of all similar blocks of flats in the city to assess the level of risk and determine what works are required. Any necessary works will be carried out as a matter of urgency.”