A DAD carrying his baby daughter knocked himself out on a bench after stumbling over a deep hole.

John-Paul Irvine, 46, is calling for action over the accident on the Boscombe Overcliff near Shelley Manor.

He hit his cheek and scraped his shin on the bench and was taken to hospital in case he had concussion.

He said: “I was carrying my daughter in a car seat so I couldn’t put my hands out to stop my fall.

“There were about three similar holes close by and it will only be a matter of time before it happens to someone else – maybe a child or an elderly person.”

The hole was around a foot deep and stuck out up to two feet from the bench.

John-Paul, from Boscombe, was out walking with his wife and family last Sunday evening.

He said a carrier bag had covered the hole from his view as he went to sit down and enjoy the sunset.

He added: “I am on Warfarin, which thins your blood, and the ambulance crew could not stop the bleeding for ages.”

Andy McDonald, Bournemouth council parks manager, said: “We will investigate this area and make sure the hole is filled underneath the bench. We do check all our park sites on a regular basis and we appreciate members of the public making us aware of any potential hazards.

“Any member of the public who wishes to alert us to any possible hazards in our park areas can call us on 01202 451629 and we will then deal with the problem.”