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Nail traps laid down against Cheshire cyclists

Boards with nails hammered through them were placed on popular MTB trail near Warrington

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

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don simon fbpe | 3 years ago
0 likes

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.

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Jenova20 | 3 years ago
3 likes

"The police discourage reporting incidents via social media bizarrely."

Makes it harder for them to drop the case and not investigate it obviously.

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EddyBerckx | 3 years ago
6 likes

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

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Bmblbzzz replied to EddyBerckx | 3 years ago
4 likes

Terribly dangerous. The perpetrator is, in a way, lucky to have been discovered now before someone lost a foot to those nails.

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OldRidgeback | 3 years ago
7 likes

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.

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freetime101 replied to OldRidgeback | 3 years ago
1 like

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....

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Hirsute replied to freetime101 | 3 years ago
2 likes

Rendel already suggested an offence only a few posts away.

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freetime101 replied to Hirsute | 3 years ago
1 like

So he did!

Rendel Harris wrote:

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.

Sounds like it should carry a decent punishment - fingers crossed! 

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EK Spinner | 3 years ago
9 likes

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

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David9694 replied to EK Spinner | 3 years ago
3 likes

You might pay him a visit and see if there's any more of that green wood lying around. 
 

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Tom_77 replied to EK Spinner | 3 years ago
2 likes

EK Spinner wrote:

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

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).

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Rendel Harris replied to Tom_77 | 3 years ago
8 likes

Tom_77 wrote:

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.

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eburtthebike | 3 years ago
6 likes

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.

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Philh68 replied to eburtthebike | 3 years ago
4 likes

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.

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mike the bike replied to Philh68 | 3 years ago
3 likes

Philh68 wrote:

 When did hangings ever deter crime?  

It tends to deter the hanged.

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Philh68 replied to mike the bike | 3 years ago
0 likes

Didn't deter Joseph Samuels. Survived 3 hangings, still returned to his criminal ways…

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aitorbk replied to eburtthebike | 3 years ago
4 likes

ASBO order?  strong worded letter?

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jerv replied to aitorbk | 3 years ago
6 likes

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. 

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