Hundreds of people have been illegally swimming in disused gravel pits in Long Eaton. The problem has been a nightmare for residents in the area as dozens of cars have been blocking Pastures Lane.
Long Eaton is home to a series of lakes, which in recent years have started to be used for illegal and dangerous open water swimming. The lakes are owned by CEMEX, which is doing all it can to keep people off the land and out of the lakes.
Derbyshire Police was called to Pastures Lane on Monday, July 18 and Tuesday, July 19, which was the hottest days of the year, after reports of large numbers of cars parked on the road and a number of people swimming in a disused gravel pit. A spokesperson from Derbyshire Police has said: "A large number of people were found at the site and were moved along."
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"Pastures Lane is a narrow route that can, should large numbers of cars be parked on it, become blocked meaning that other vehicles are unable to pass by, including emergency vehicles. This is dangerous and we would urge anyone parking in such a manner not to do so."
"Any threatening or aggressive behaviour towards members of the public, or staff of nearby businesses, will not be tolerated and the force will deal with this robustly. Swimming in gravel pits of this nature is extremely dangerous. Bodies of water like this can remain lethally cold even on hot days, can hide various hidden dangers and contain unknown, potentially hazardous, substances."
They added: "For those wishing to swim in open water you can do this in a controlled environment, with a qualified lifeguard on hand, on the same road." Spring Lakes is a business that safely offers open water swimming on its site, which is supervised by members of staff and lifeguards.
General manager at Spring Lakes, Steven Barnett, explained that on Tuesday, July 19, there "were approximately 400 vehicles abandoned on Pasture Lane with the occupants smashing fencing and gaining access to the CEMEX lake. Our staff were subjected to numerous threats and abuse whilst trying to prevent them parking at our facility."
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