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news
Warrington trap (picture credit Nick Caldwell)Nail traps laid down against Cheshire cyclists
Cyclists in woodland near Warrington in Cheshire have been targeted this weekend by someone laying wooden boards with nails sticking through them on a popular trail.
Facebook user Nick Caldwell posted pictures of the traps on Friday to the Appleton Thorn Village group on the social network.
In the post, he said: "For all those who may use Daresbury Firs for exercise.
There’s a malicious moron loose!
"These have been found today buried in Daresbury Firs, presumably to ‘deter’ cyclists but putting all who use that area for exercise, and their pets, at serious risk of injury."
On Saturday, he updated his post to say that police had been in the area that morning.
"Not sure how far the police are on with their investigation but we now know who the perpetrator is and where he lives," he said.
Nick told road.cc on Sunday: "I believe one of the local MTB riders has had a heated conversation with the perpetrator during which he admitted to making and planting the devices and threatening to do it again! What a prick!
"Having discovered who is responsible I intend to refer it via Crimestoppers and point them in the right direction.
"The police discourage reporting incidents via social media bizarrely.
"However, there was a police presence in Daresbury Firs the morning after I posted, hopefully looking for other devices rather than just evicting cyclists."
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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18 comments
There's an eejit that does this on one of the 4x4 green lanes in the Ceiriog valley. Obviously oblivious to the damage that they are doing to theiur neighbours. What a state when people think this is acceptable behaviour.
"The police discourage reporting incidents via social media bizarrely."
Makes it harder for them to drop the case and not investigate it obviously.
So if they are trying to deter mtb'ers then presumably it's a path he also uses? And maybe other pedestrians/joggers/pets/horses??
Obviously a cyclist could get a couple of ruined tyres and maybe fall onto the path afterwards...but the injuries you could get from stepping on one of those outweigh that I would've thought...mindless attempted GBH
Terribly dangerous. The perpetrator is, in a way, lucky to have been discovered now before someone lost a foot to those nails.
Those things are nasty and could just as easily injure animals or joggers as MTB riders. I hope the cops take suitable action against the idiot leaving thes traps around.
Agreed, any number of things could stand on that and get injured - It's on a muddy path too so will push dirt into the wound....
It's obviously a morally wrong and stupid thing to do, but what's actually illegal about it? As in, what could their punishment be? I suspect as best it will be a "don't do it again" from the local copper....
Rendel already suggested an offence only a few posts away.
So he did!
Sounds like it should carry a decent punishment - fingers crossed!
A member of he public says they know who did it, and have given that identity to the police, if that person denys it and there is no other evidence then I suspect this will once again go nowhere
If howver they are stupid enough to admit it, or they manage to gather some evidence (like more bits of wood with that green paint etc) then I would be keen to know what they get charged with, I would like to think it will be something fairly serious and not just enough to put them through a process
You might pay him a visit and see if there's any more of that green wood lying around.
Not sure what they would be charged with. In Scotland there's a crime of Reckless Endangerment but I don't think there's an equivalent crime in England and Wales. Could possibly be charged with Attempted GBH (or similar).
As by laying the traps they are effectively damaging the path, i.e. altering it detrimentally, and of course they would be damaging any bikes that rode over them, "Criminal damage with intent to endanger life or reckless as to whether life endangered" (Criminal Damage Act 1971) should fit the bill.
So they know who did it, but no reports of an arrest yet. What would they be charged with?
Whatever, the judicial system needs to make an example of them, and while I'm not generally in favour of capital punishment, hanging their body from a local tree until it rots away would send a very powerful message to anyone else thinking about doing something similar.
When did hangings ever deter crime?
I would be ok with putting it under their doormat or their car tyres without their knowledge. They might learn the stupidity of their actions if it came back to bite them.
It tends to deter the hanged.
Didn't deter Joseph Samuels. Survived 3 hangings, still returned to his criminal ways…
ASBO order? strong worded letter?
I recon take their car away from them for a year or two and force them to cycle everywhere. Also slap them with a £500 fine and have to wear a tracker.
But we just have to be grateful that it is just nails and not a fishing line at neck height.