From the Sussex Police website:

Walkers, cyclists and others using tracks through Coldean Woods in Brighton are being warned to look out for wires being strung between trees to create danger.

Two such incidents have been reported to police in as many days, and there are fears that someone may be seriously injured if they fail to spot the obstacles.

Officers have been working with Brighton and Hove City Coucil rangers to remove the wires, and extra foot patrols are being mounted in the area.

Sergeant Alison Penny, of the East Brighton Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “These wires appear to have been deliberately placed across paths.

“There is a real risk that someone could run into them and suffer serious injury as a result.

“It is an extremely foolhardy thing to do and those responsible can expect to be dealt with robustly. Extra patrols are on the look-out for offenders.

“Meanwhile, I would urge people using the woods to take care and also to report any suspicious behaviour without delay.”

http://www.sussex.police.uk/whats-happening/latest/news-stories/2015/05/29/danger-wires-warning-for-people-using-coldean-woods,-brighton

Oh dear, this sort of thing is a big worry for riding Stanmer and Coldean, sticks and branches were one thing but wire across trails is potentially very dangerous 🙁

Only on the Coldean side so far but it may spread to Stanmer. More worrying than the sticks as you can’t see wires in poor light.

Wasn’t someone putting glass down in Stanmer the other week too?.

Yes, also problems in the past at friston and paradise – just not enough space in the south I guess.

Plenty of space, no excuse for that

Not again!

Had something like this happen in the woods near me where i run and ride, though with a slightly different modus operandi. Some very angry soul put a few two foot planks with nails hammered through on the trails. Like above the police got involved after a couple of groups stumbled across them, though fortunately going up the downhill they had been placed on. Nothing even came of it though.

As said above stick fairies are one thing but premeditated traps are quite another. Really don’t understand the thought process behind this kind of behaviour.

Half term fun
Bless the little darlings

Hadn’t thought of that timbur

I is a dad init bruver so I noz stuff :Op

(and I might have had a beer!)

There has been an injury to a cyclist;

http://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2015/06/10/another-brighton-cyclist-injured-by-wire-across-woodland-path/40241

Mr Gibson, a father of two, said: “We went up by the racecourse then cycle along the top and then down by the golfcourse there’s a path which goes down to Rottingdean.

“It’s quite a steep, wide path and normally you can go quite fast. I was with my brother and a friend and I was going very fast and suddenly felt my foot being dragged. I knew that there was something trying to hold me back but there was no way I could hold back because I was going too fast.

“I knew I was coming off so I went into a roll as I went over the handlebars and landing on my shoulder.

“There was a very large fence post with wire attached which had been dragged from one side of the path to the other so the wire was about two feet in the air.

I’ve broken my collarbone, I’ve got bruised ribs, and my shoulder joints have been smashed about. A physiotherapist did some work and he reckons I shouldn’t have any long term damage but it will be five to six weeks before I do any weight bearing stuff.

Bad news, and it sounds like it could have been worse. Occassionally happens up here around Sherwood. Pretty hard to prevent or trace the culprits though.

Hopefully the local police, council and national park rangers will take this seriously now. If that trail is where I think it is, it’s a well-used bridleway that links Woodingdean with the coast path and Rottingdean, used a lot by horse riders as well as cyclists with their kids 😐