“STAY SAFE… STAY OUT” - Quarries (working or disused) may appear fun but by trespassing, young people place both their own and their friends lives at risk. Fencing and warning signs are there to protect you, potential hazards lie behind:

• Swimming in quarry lakes, even on a hot day in the middle of summer is dangerous. Strong swimmers have drowned in quarries due to the unexpected impact that the extreme cold water has had on your bodies.

• The water in quarry lakes can be very deep and shelving, exit from the water may only be possible in a few places, there may be pumps working or currents that can drag you under the water.

• There can be concealed underwater obstructions and other hazards that can seriously injure swimmers or individuals jumping into the water – tombstoning into quarry lakes is not safe.

• Tunnelling into piles of sand or playing on stockpiles exposes you to the risk of sudden collapses or movements that can easily bury you.

• Walking near the edge of quarry faces exposes you to the risk of serious falls as the edges can be unstable and collapse unexpectedly or sheer faces be obstructed by vegetation.

• Climbing or walking near rock faces can expose you to the risk of rock falls.

• Surfaces in quarries that may look solid, such as the surface of a silt pond, can suddenly break and act like quick sand sucking you down.

• Trail and quad biking in a quarry will expose riders to risks from unstable terrain, unexpected obstructions.

• Quarries can often cause mobile phone reception to be poor and there is no one on hand to help in the event of an accident.