Simon Hughes, 17, of Mill Lane, was looking after two-year-old Laura for his step-sister when she accidentally swallowed a piece of rubber on Tuesday afternoon.

The rubber was left by vandals who have destroyed the park's surface in recent weeks.

The ground is strewn with black pebbles after the rubber safety flooring has been ripped up - leaving the underlying stone surface dangerously exposed.

Little Laura, who was visiting with her family from London, was rushed to hospital where she was later sick and brought up the piece of rubber.

"It was really upsetting to see her choking," said Simon.

"I thought she was going to die. I remember reassuring her and patting her back to get her to try to cough it up. The park really needs to be sorted out before another child gets hurt."

Contractors were out in force on Tuesday morning to repair the damaged rubber surface and one of the gates which had also been ripped off by vandals.

Site supervisor Ian Locksley said it was frustrating to see the damage caused, and warned youngsters that innocently picking at the safety surface could be extremely dangerous.

But even after the contractor team had left, the park was still covered in black pebbles.

"I've seen a lot of teenagers messing about and have asked them to leave, but I just get a load of abuse back," said Simon.

"It gives other teenagers a bad name and makes it a dangerous place for children. The council needs to get some security cameras installed."

Claire Williams, who is one of six belonging to the Dinnington and Anston Childminders' Association, agreed.

She said: "When you are looking after other people's children you need to be doubly careful," she said.

"It's so easy for a child to pick up one of the pieces thinking it is a sweet. There have been occasions when we have had to walk up to Greenlands Park, which can take up to 20 minutes with the little ones."

Ken Richards, of Nursery Road, said he was pleased to see the repair work had been done, but stressed that all users needed to treat the park with respect.

"You see some teenagers here picking up things and throwing them about," he said.

"I know it's not all teens, but this needs to stop. The park is a great thing – it's nice to see families having fun."

A spokesman for Rotherham Council confirmed that they had dealt with the damage caused by the vandalism and urged anyone witnessing any further trouble to contact the police.

Peter Cunningham, from the council's leisure and green spaces unit, apologised for any inconvenience caused and promised to clear up the mess this week.

"We will be sending out members of our Streetpride team to the play park this afternoon to remove any debris present," he said on Wednesday afternoon.