A BRIGHT schoolboy with a passion for astronomy left council officers slightly red-faced after spotting a mistake on educational play equipment.

William Harley, aged seven, pointed out that two planets were in the wrong positions on a chart in Mesnes Park, Newton-le-Willows.

An educational board showing the distance of planets from the sun in our solar sys - tem had Neptune and Uranus the wrong way around, he told his father.

Dad, James, aged 44, of Newton, said: “He saw the sign and said it was wrong.

I didn’t know, I had to look it up on the internet when we got home.

“He was right!

“I wasn’t that surprised because space and planets are one of his big interests, and he usually gets things right!

“William is obsessed with space he got a telescope for his seventh birthday. His room is decorated with a space theme and he has loads of books on space.

“He loves going to the planetarium in Liverpool.”

His dad added that William has a photographic memory and that “you can’t pull the wool over his eyes.”

James, a tax manager, says he has contacted St Helens Council to make them aware of the error.

A spokesperson for St Helens Council said: “We are grateful to William for raising the issue of the incorrect information, and appreciate his interest.

“We aim to replace the panel as soon as possible, as we believe that educational material in park play areas provides a great learning opportunity outside of school.

“We apologise for the misinformation, and are working with the supplier to correct the issue.

“In the interim, we will be temporarily covering the panel until a solution can be reached.”