DURING recent good weather, I have taken the opportunity to go for a number of walks around the beautiful countryside of Birtle on the Bury and Heywood border. And what I have witnessed gives me, and should give everyone else, cause for concern.

The old quarry at the top of Castle Hill Road is, it seems, being used as some kind of adventure playground, with a combination of different leisure pursuits quite clearly evident. These include, amongst others, swimming, rock climbing, shooting and motor cycle scrambling by all manner of people, of all ages, including small children.

The site is strewn with rubbish, with beer and soft drink cans being prominent (one could be forgiven for thinking that the local council might consider setting up the kind of recyling facilities found at local supermarkets).

More worrying, however, was that I came across what looked like the remains of a hypodermic needle near one of the entrances to the quarry. If it was, I shudder to think what the consequences could have been if someone had come into contact with it. The same can be said of other dangers within the quarry. I have come across small children, youths and even adults swimming in the rock pool which resembles a cess-pit and is full of rubbish. I dread to think what lurks beneath the murky waters and what possible infections people may be exposing themselves to.

The rock face of the quarry is crumbling and looks totally unsafe but, yet again, the public are using it as a climbing facility. I recall there was a recent incident of an adult falling down it, which was reported in the Bury Times. I am convinced that it is only a matter of time before someone is killed or seriously injured.

With the school holidays fast approaching whoever is responsible for the site, be it the owners or the local councils, should at the very least make it secure. It does appear to be privately owned with prominent signs painted on huge boulders warning people to keep out. Sad to say, these warnings are largely ignored, probably due to the quarry's remote location and the lack of adequate fencing (some of which has been damaged).

If the quarry is no longer operational, then all responsible should consider what its future is to be. I would suggest that a way forward would be to fill it in and return it something like the natural state of the surrounding countryside. This would also eliminate a blot on the landscape in a beautiful area which can be seen for miles around.

Sadly, I have a feeling that nothing like this will be done until such time as someone drowns or is killed and I would therefore urge parents to keep their children away from this potential death-trap during the summer holidays.

J. BOWE