When the dilemma is – when should authorities intervene to stop the free will of someone who knowingly exposes themselves to serious risk?
What happened?
Gullett Quarry, at the foot of the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire, has been disused since 1977. It is one hundred foot deep in the middle, is full of very cold water, still contains old equipment from when it was in use, has unstable walls so there is a risk of rock falls, and has been the site of a number of drownings while people try to cool off in the summer heat. The very cold water increases the risk of cold water shock.
There were two drownings within days of each other in 2013. The first was a 17 year-old boy, the second boy was aged 22. There were a number of signs around the quarry warning of the dangers of swimming, but these were not headed. After the second drowning, the Malvern Hills Trust, in consultation with the Police, closed the quarry, but still many people arrived and wanted to swim even though they knew about the fatalities.
Crossing the fence or entering the water is a breach of the Trust’s byelaws and Trust staff and police officers regularly patrol the site. Breaches of the byelaws can lead to £100 fines. In 2004, a patrolling warden prevented another drowning when he saw two boys struggling in the water. Nevertheless, this year (2026) there have still been reports of people breaking into the closed quarry to go for a swim.
Legal Outcome
The coroner recorded the deaths as accidental at the inquests.
What can we learn from what happened?
There have been more accidents, and certainly more near misses, than are mentioned here. Gullett Quarry is well-known in the local area as a site of potential danger.
While it is a man-made quarry, it is essentially a natural geographical feature, and as a result, the safety management issues are complicated. The Malvern Hills Trust clearly want, and have a duty. to reduce the risk and have taken action that they consider necessary, leading to closure of the quarry following the two deaths in quick succession.
The dilemma is – when should authorities (the Trust and the Police in this case) intervene to stop the free will of someone who knowingly exposes themselves to serious risk?
It is not known how many fines have been issued for breaching the bylaw, but this is worth investigating to establish whether the byelaw is being enforced, or just used as a deterrent.
Source of Information
Worcester News Online
BBC News Online