Trampoline park where four children broke their legs could face further legal action over zero food hygiene score

A troubled trampoline park where four children broke their legs and one broke her spine could face further legal action after achieving a zero food hygiene rating.

The damning hygiene assessment is the latest in a series of controversies facing Supajump, based in Cardiff’s Trident Trade Park.

Last year, owner Philip Booth, 61, was received a suspended sentence when he tried to cover up the horrific injuries of several children at his American-themed bouncy park.

And council bosses say he could face further legal action after an inspector who visited in March gave the company a shocking score of zero for its food hygiene.

A council spokesperson said: ‘As the business has been given a food hygiene rating of zero, we are currently investigating and this may result in further enforcement action.’

Last year, owner Philip Booth (pictured) was given a suspended sentence after he tried to cover up horrific injuries suffered by several children at his American-themed jumping park

The damning food hygiene score is the latest in a series of controversies faced by Supajump, based in Cardiff’s Trident Trade Park

Speak with WalesOnlineMr Booth accepted the inspectors’ negative hygiene report but suggested there was no risk to customers.

He said: ‘It was all about cleanliness. The ice cream fridge downstairs was dirty, they wanted us to put a sink downstairs, put linoleum in the candy store, defrost the fridge, the slushy machine needed a deep cleaning, one of the coffee machines spilled over powdered milk all the time, and we needed a paper towel dispenser near the upstairs sink.

‘There was artificial grass on the floor in the sweet shop and now there is lino instead because it is easier to clean. We all did that. It had nothing to do with food sales. That was all fine.’

The owner argued that if the food served at the trampoline park was dangerous, the city “would have shut me down.”

He said: ‘We stuck to it [the council] and we did everything they asked of us. They will come back again for the final inspection.’

In June last year, the trampoline park boss admitted six health and safety breaches between August 2017 and October 2019.

During this period, four children broke their legs, another broke her spine and a sixth suffered facial injuries.

Booth narrowly avoided jail time and was sentenced to ten months’ imprisonment, suspended for 19 months and fined £20,000.

Cardiff Crown Court heard an eight-year-old girl was left ‘covered in blood’ when she fell through a gap between an airbag and the floor, hitting her in the face.

Prosecutor Carl Harrison said the girl was trapped under the airbag and was struggling to breathe, but Booth told her mother: “It’s just an abrasion.”

Mr Harrison said a girl broke two bones in her leg after jumping into a foam pit, ‘spearing through the foam’ and hitting a hard object underneath.

Supajump owner Philip Booth, 61, argued that if the food served at the trampoline park (pictured) was dangerous the council would ‘have shut me down’

Another child, a three-year-old girl, had her leg put in a cast up to her hip after breaking her leg in the park.

Mr Harrison said the only first aid offered at the park was a wet towel or ice pack as staff had not been trained.

Booth did not report these injuries to Cardiff Council.

WalesOnline interviewed three others who came forward with claims about injuries they suffered after jumping into the foam pit at Supajump.

Mr Harrison told the court that when investigators visited the foam pit they found it had not been cleaned ‘in months’.

He says: ‘When the foam blocks were removed, there was no maintenance or cleaning for months.

“They found socks, broken plastic cups, a missing trampoline spring, sanitary towels, coins, electronic devices, a rolled cigarette and a lighter, among other items.”

The court heard that Booth was visited by regulators before the opening and advised to carry out an independent safety check, but ‘chose’ to ignore advice saying ‘it is only a guide’.

Booth, pleaded guilty to four charges of failing to report an accident in the park.

He also twice admitted failing to ensure people were not exposed to health and safety risks while using playground equipment.

John Ryan, defending, said: ‘He is described as a hard-working man who put his heart and soul into a business but in some respects failed in his ability to run it well.’

Judge Matthew Porter-Bryant told Booth: ‘You chose to open at a time when it should have been clear to you that the premises were not ready to be opened safely.’

Cardiff Crown Court (pictured) heard an eight-year-old girl was left ‘covered in blood’ when she fell through a gap between an airbag and the floor, hitting her in the face

He said Booth “had a desire to put profit before safety.”

The Supajump website states: ‘The Supajump trampoline arena has over 100 interconnected trampolines to bounce, practice your somersaults and stay fit!’

The campsite also features an American candy shop and Uncle Sam’s American Diner, serving freshly made hamburgers.