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'It's not a visitor attraction' - People told again to stay away from Buxton quarry

The weather may have changed to become more cooler and showery, but local authorities say measures to deter people from visiting Hoffman Quarry in Buxton will continue this weekend.

Thousands of visitors have flocked to the former industrial quarry - which is on privately-owned land - to swim in the water and spend time outdoors during recent weeks, particularly during the spell of warm weather. 

This is despite repeated calls to stay away, behave responsibly, respect the community and warnings about the dangers of the water. 

The water, which has a PH level similar to bleach and contains other hazards, has been dyed black to make it less attractive and new signage highlighting the dangers has been put up on the site.

But people have still continued to head to the site in their numbers and the large influx of visitors has been causing issues for local residents in Harpur Hill - the village that lies below the quarry. 

These include inconsiderate - and sometimes dangerous - parking of vehicles, piles of litter and other anti-social behaviour such as urinating in people's gardens. 

High Peak Borough Council say it is working with other local authorities - including the police and fire service - in a bid to address the situation and reassure locals. 

Jean Todd, who is the Executive Councillor for the Environment and Community Safety, said: "We and our partners are continuing to keep the situation in Harpur Hill under review to support residents who suffer the consequences of the irresponsible behaviour of those people that come to the quarry and show no respect to local communities.

"The change in the weather will hopefully put people off coming this weekend – and even if that doesn’t, the litter and the mess that has been left behind by previous visitors should hopefully deter them from staying and adding to the problem!

"Our message remains the same – and we can’t stress it enough – this former industrial quarry is most definitely not a ‘visitor attraction’ and people should stay away for their own safety." 

Last weekend, Derbyshire police issued almost 50 fines for parking offences and seized two vehicles which were parked dangerously at the site. 

They say a visible presence will remain in place over the coming days. 

Sergeant Adam Harrison, the safer neighbourhood sergeant, said: "Over the weekend a substantial partnership operation took place which resulted in dozens of fines for drivers parking their cars illegally. In two cases, the parking was so dangerous that the cars had to be seized.

"We continue to work with our partner organisations to help resolve the situation and deter people from attending the quarry by explaining the very real dangers it poses. The situation will remain under close observation and officers will continue working in the area to provide a visible presence over the coming days.

"I would like to thank residents for their continued support to both my officers and partner agencies over the past weeks." 

Since last weekend, firefighters have been called out to two separate grass fires at the quarry and chiefs have repeated the message for visitors to stay away, whilst reminding people of the dangers of swimming in the lake. 

Group Manager Paul Hawker from Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "Firefighters and members of the Service’s water safety prevention team have been maintaining a presence at Hoffman Quarry over the last week putting up water safety signs and speaking to visitors explaining the dangers and the very real risk of drowning that the cold water presents.

"We are continuing to work with our partners to deter visitors, maintaining a visible presence at the quarry where possible, and we will continue to explore other ways of deterring visitors to a site that is anything but the idyllic tourist attraction that it has been described as – it now resembles a waste tip with discarded unpleasant rubbish.

"I’d like to remind people that cold water causes your body to go into shock, you gasp for air, your muscles spasm and you become disorientated – even the strongest swimmers can quickly get into difficulty.

"Our message is quite simple, stay away – the quarry is private land and you are trespassing and the water is dangerous and you will be at high risk of drowning if you go swimming there."

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