Police have appealed for an end to “dangerous” trail sabotage on mountain bike tracks around the Forest of Dean after an incident at the end of August which left one rider injured.
Large branches had been appearing on the trails in the Forest of Dean increasingly frequently throughout the summer, and after a rider was given significant cuts and grazes as a result of the booby traps, the police decided to speak out about the fall.
The Gloucestershire Police said: “This is dangerous. We would urge those members of the public who are carrying out what they may think is a harmless prank to stop their behaviour before somebody is seriously hurt.
“In the past few weeks, large branches have been deliberately placed across the trails, which could potentially cause serious injury to a cyclist”
It seems slightly ridiculous to suggest that those laying the traps would consider them “harmless”. They’re evidently aware of the use of the trails by mountain bikers, and therefore are probably familiar with the speeds they can reach.
