The FC have blocked part of Squirrel Scamper pit, due to the frequency and severity of injuries that have occurred there.

Out of interest, generally TIMBER oppose such closures as a matter of course, on the following basis:-

1. Physical objects are inanimate and do not cause accidents, people riding things they aren’t competent to ride is what causes accidents, therefore if the idea is to achieve an accident free environment ban people.
2. We challenge the statistics. One serious accident amongst say 500,000 visitors makes the forest a safer place than the road to get to it, and no one is suggesting that the road be closed.
3. If the policy is to close the most dangerous place in the forest, closure just makes somewhere else the most dangerous place. If the policy is to close the most dangerous place constantly, pretty soon we will have a flat space with no features.
4. The removal of the features in the Tightrope section was for the same reasons. The fact that severe injuries have been incurred elsewhere tends to prove how invalid that policy is.

If anyone has any comments either in favour of or against the closure please post them on the forum and I will ensure they are passed on to the FC.