‘Safety risk’ Bridge trustees hit out after three base jumpers leap
CLIFTON Suspension Bridge Trust has issued a stark warning after base jumpers were filmed leaping off the iconic landmark yesterday.
In a video uploaded to Twitter, three men are filmed standing at the top of the bridge before leaping off and landing on the grassy bank next to the Portway, avoiding the road and the River Avon.
A caption accompanying the video read “Good morning Bristol! Well, THIS was a ‘different’ sight today on my early morning stroll! A little bit of #BaseJumping !! *Base jumping itself is not illegal in the UK but accessing sites to jump from without permission can sometimes lead to charges being brought.”
Base jumping is a recreational sport involving jumping from fixed objects, using a parachute to descend safely to the ground.
Trustees of the bridge have warned base jumping off it could risk the safety of those jumping, could cause serious damage to the bridge, and distress the public.
The video shows three people hiding behind the wall of the bridge, before running over to the north side, clambering onto the support cables next to the footpath, and then leaping one by one.
Avon and Somerset Constabulary has confirmed it is not investigating yesterday’s incident but said that there have been incidents where emergency services have been called out and an investigation into public nuisance has taken place.
After the video was uploaded to Twitter, Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust released a statement saying: “The trustees of the Clifton Suspension Bridge take their responsi
bilities to protect such an iconic landmark, enjoyed by many, very seriously. The trust does not condone or endorse base jumping from the bridge.
“Base jumping could cause potentially serious damage to the bridge itself, risk the safety of the base jumpers themselves and cause distress to visitors.”
The Bridge Master of the Suspension Bridge is Trish Johnson. She confirmed the bylaws of the bridge clearly state that base jumping is not permitted and any attempt to would be reported to police immediately.
There have been at least six instances of base jumping in Bristol in the past ten years that have been documented with videos posted on
YouTube.
The Clifton Suspension Bridge was the location for the first modern bungee jump, on April Fool’s
Day in 1980, when members of the Dangerous Sports Club jumped from the bridge with huge rubber ropes.
They were arrested then, and since then, the bridge’s authorities and the police continue to take a dim view of anyone bungee jumping or base jumping from the bridge.
Last July, a lone base jumper sparked a massive two-hour search and rescue operation, involving four emergency services.
One man leapt from the bridge at dusk one night, at around 9.30pm, and was spotted jumping by someone on the bridge, who couldn’t see in the darkness that they had a parachute, or that they landed safely.
Base jumping could cause potentially serious damage to the bridge itself, risk the safety of the base jumpers themselves and cause distress to visitors
Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust