A 27-year-old man was arrested after crashing a car into the playground near a Bukit Merah Housing Board block.

The man was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and for use of criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging his duty, police said yesterday. The man was also driving without a valid licence.

Police were alerted to the incident at Block 134 Jalan Bukit Merah on Friday at 11.58pm. They are investigating the incident. The Singapore Civil Defence Force was also called for assistance at about midnight. It said that a man was assessed by a paramedic for minor injuries but refused to be taken to hospital.

The Sunday Times understands that no one else was injured.

In a Facebook post yesterday, Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Indranee Rajah said that the town council has cordoned off the playground and a safety inspection will be conducted.

Mr Mervin Low, 51, was dropping his daughter's friend off at Block 134 when he saw an ambulance and several police vehicles in the area.

The event manager told The Sunday Times: "I was shocked at how bad the crash was. The distance between the (carpark) gantry, where the car would have had to stop, and the playground is about 30m or 40m, and there is a slight incline."