Playground nails: How claims went viral

Viral images of nails attached to playground equipment in an Oxfordshire village have sparked misinformation about where the vandalism took place.

After contacting the Marcham Parish Council and residents, BBC Verify spoke with the mum who found the nails.

She did not want to be named, but said she and her daughter had discovered seven nails glued to a seesaw, swings, slides and other equipment on Monday.

She provided original photos which confirm her account.

After removing the nails, she handed them into a nearby shop and reported the incident on a private community Facebook group.

The original images, which she shared in the group and later went viral, were passed on to BBC Verify. When we examined them, we found that the timestamp information was consistent with what we were told. In addition, we were able to match visual clues in the playground that confirm they were taken in Marcham.

BBC Verify is not able to establish the exact circumstances in which the nails were glued to the equipment, but Thames Valley Police has confirmed officers are investigating.

However, the mother said she has not yet been contacted by the force, and the nails have not been collected from the shop.

Although the incident took place in a village near Abingdon in Oxfordshire, false claims that the playground was located in and around London began to spread online – creating concern for parents.