Newcastle City Council has been fined £12,000 after a faulty interactive exhibit at the Discovery Museum in Newcastle left a five-year-old girl permanently disfigured.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Newcastle City Council, which runs the museum, after an incident in August of last year that saw a girl’s hand come into contact with the rotating blades of a fan.

The child placed her hand in an opening of the Floating on Air exhibit to feel air flow through the machine. The opening should have been protected by a guard, but it had been removed for repairs.

After the incident, the youngster required immediate surgery and also had to undergo further procedures, including a skin graft and a tendon harvest and replacement. The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been left with two permanently bent and scarred fingers.

HSE's investigation showed that there was no formal system in place to ensure the exhibit was in good condition and safe for members of the public to use.

The council pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, was fined £12,000 and ordered to pay costs of £7,733.

After the case, HSE inspector Carol Forster said: “The serious injuries that this young girl suffered could easily have been avoided. The Floating on Air exhibit had been in use for a number of years, yet the gap had not been fixed.

"The health and safety of members of the public, especially children, who use interactive exhibits in museums is very important. It's important that councils, like any other organisations, must have systems and procedures in place to ensure that the safety of members of the public is not put at risk by their activities."

Representing the council, lawyer Rod Searl said the museum was profoundly sorry for the incident and has since invested heavily in health and safety procedures at the site.