Action taken after 'rave' at disused Derbyshire quarry lagoon

A Derbyshire MP has described scenes at a disused quarry as a ‘rave’ as she called for action to prevent anti-social behaviour at the site.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Derbyshire Dales MP Sarah Dines says she has has brought together Tarmac, the owners of Middle Peak Quarry at Wirksworth; police and Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service to address residents’ concerns about trespassing.

Residents in Wirksworth say they fear an accident ‘on the scale of’ Durdle Door in Dorset – where three people were seriously injured after jumping from cliffs just days after the Covid-19 lockdown was lifted.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

They claim boy racers are using the normally quiet country lanes of The Dale and Green Hill as a ‘racetrack’ in order to reach the deep lagoon at the nearby quarry.

Middle Peak Quarry near Wirksworth.Middle Peak Quarry near Wirksworth.
Middle Peak Quarry near Wirksworth.

Miss Dines said: “I would describe my first visit to Middle Peak Quarry in Wirksworth as a rave.

“There were hundreds of people acting recklessly with no thought for their own safety or the feelings of the local community.

“I had brought along with me the Chief Superintendent Divisional Commander and together we did all we could to clear the site and follow-up with local residents afterwards who are so horrifically impacted by this.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She says that by bringing the various organisations together, they were able to ‘constructively work through problems being faced by residents’.

“Those that choose to speed through our quiet country lanes such as The Dale and Greenhill, break through security perimeters at this site and put themselves in danger, are doing so at such a great cost to residents with potentially a great cost to their own lives and the lives of the rescue services,” she said.

“This is unacceptable and I’m really worried, as I know residents are, that there will be a serious incident here if people choose to act so dangerously.”

Firefighters say it would not be possible to conduct a water rescue at the site.

The water is more than 10m deep, colder than a river or sea and poses a number of life-threatening risks including heart attack on entering the water and drowning.