WITH the summer holidays now upon us, can I make an urgent appeal to parents across Devon and Cornwall to warn their children about the dangers of playing in their local quarries? As the weather has become warmer over recent weeks, there has been a worrying increase in youngsters across the country finding their way into active and disused quarries. But the problem does not just lie with children and teenagers. A new nationwide survey found that 85% of quarries that responded were concerned about adult trespass. In the majority of cases, this was associated with leisure activities, such as dog-walking, motor-cycling and bird-watching. By cutting or breaking down fences to gain entry, a gap is left which provides easy access for youngsters and leaves them exposed to a range of potential hazards. The active quarrying sites in Devon and Cornwall play an important role in the community by producing the building materials we all need, but they are places of work, and not for play. Falling rocks, deep and cold water and sand stockpiles can all be dangerous for those without the necessary training and safety equipment. Instead of playing in real quarries, why not point your children towards the safe places to play locally? If they are still fascinated by quarries, they may enjoy our free fun and educational websites: http://www.virtualquarry.co.uk">www.virtualquarry.co.uk http://www.virtualquarry.co.uk">http://www.virtualquarry.co.uk and http://www.quarryrescue.com">www.quarryrescue.com http://www.quarryrescue.com">http://www.quarryrescue.com Tim Parry Quarry Products Association
