Speaker system at the Quays so louts can get a good ticking off
LOUDSPEAKERS will be installed at Salford Quays in an attempt to deter people from jumping from bridges into the canal.
It comes after almost 200 lockdown breaches were reported in a single month.
Hundreds of people have flocked to the area during spells of warm weather since April – with some coming from as far away as Wigan.
Teenagers and adults have been spotted leaping into the Manchester Ship Canal from the Detroit Bridge, or taking part in unauthorised swimming, despite these activities being prohibited by a public spaces protection order (PSPO).
Salford council says the order is difficult to enforce as individuals use the water ‘as a means of defiance.’
A report says: “There is a generational issue amongst many families whereby the Quays is a place to visit in good weather and jumping from bridges is an acceptable leisure activity and this is something that has always taken place. Some families have commented, ‘this is what we have always done and what all of my family have done.’”
The report also suggests there are ‘mixed messages’ around swimming in the area, with U Swim and Salford Community Leisure offering safe swimming activities at certain times. There have been occasions where individuals have been instructed to cease swimming and have cooperated but were unaware of the prohibitions and difference between authorised and unauthorised swimming,” it says.
The new public announcement system will link to existing CCTV cameras across the Quays to inform people of the PSPO prohibitions. As of the end of June a total of 30 warning letters have been issued to people aged under 18 found to be in breach of the order, with the youngest person caught being 12 years old. Some of the youngsters were pupils of the nearby Oasis Academy and Co-Op Academy in Worsley, while pupils from Fred Longworth High School in Tyldesley were also identified. In May, there were 192 breaches of the Covid-19 lockdown and the PSPO, including 162 breaches by groups of more than two people, 22 household breaches, six anti-social behaviour incidents and two breaches by businesses. During the ‘particularly difficult’ weekend of May 28-31, GMP responded to 52 reports of antisocial behaviour in the Quays.
In June a man was jailed for three months after attempting to push a police officer into the water and, after failing, jumped in himself and refused to get out.
It is difficult to enforce antisocial behaviour due to ‘vast indefensible space’ created by numerous entries and exits, according to the council.
Several measures were suggested in the report to curb anti-social behaviour, ranging from closing or removing bridges to creating a ‘managed and safe’ way for people to dive into the canal.
But in the short-term the council has opted for the loudspeaker system, permanent warning signs near all bridges and the reapplication of anti-climb paint to Detroit Bridge and the Millennium Bridge.