A three-year-old girl was slightly injured when she fell a height of around a metre and a half from a walkway without railings at the Splash and Fun Water Park in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq.

The girl, who the police said was born in the UK but who has a Maltese surname, was rushed to hospital in an ambulance.

However, the police said they were not called straightaway following the accident.

Patrick Vella, director of Leisure and Theme Park Ltd which operates Splash and Fun, was asked why the staff had not called the police immediately and whether this decision was taken to allow time to put up the railings.

He said the police were called right after the girl had left the premises in an ambulance.

“There are railings in the area, just not everywhere. As soon as we realised that that area posed a danger, we closed it off so that no more children could access it and set about putting up a railing.

“When the police came, they halted the works so as to conduct their investigations.”

Mr Vella said the girl was frightened and in pain but was conscious and there was no blood. A staff nurse administered first aid on site while the ambulance was on its way.