A WARNING has been issued after a spate of incidents at Broken Scar, Darlington, where crowds of people have gathered setting fires and ignoring social distancing guidelines.

Civic enforcement officers, part of Darlington Borough Council’s Community Safety Team, joined forces with Durham Police and County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service to urge those involved to think twice about the get-togethers, which could put themselves and others at risk.

Councillor Jonathan Dulston, Darlington Borough Council’s cabinet member for stronger communities, said: “We don’t want to stop people from having fun but these types of gatherings are not acceptable given the pandemic.

“The social distancing guidelines are there for a simple reason – to save lives. While plans are being made to slowly ease lockdown we cannot afford to be complacent and we’d urge people to do their bit for their own safety and that of others.

“We’ve also seen bonfires in the area, which not only poses the danger of causing a major fire as it’s tinder dry at the moment, but also ties up firefighters who could be needed elsewhere – again putting lives at risk.”

Inspector Chris Knox, Darlington Neighbourhood Police Inspector, said: “We are aware of issues around Broken Scar where large groups of predominately young people are gathering to have barbeques and drink alcohol. We are regularly patrolling the area around the riverbank to ensure the safety of members of the public and to deal with any offences committed.”

With the temperatures at a high level this weekend, North Yorkshire’s first responder agencies are urging members of the public to keep safe when spending time at rivers, reservoirs and coastal waters.

Richard Flinton, chairman of the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, which brings together all first responder agencies in the county, said there were growing concerns as the good weather continues.

Large groups have been gathering at places like the Threshfield Quarry lagoon near Skipton in the Yorkshire Dales and Richmondshire Falls on the River Swale.

He warned: “Open water may look tempting to cool off in warmer weather but can be full of hidden dangers that you can get caught up in. It’s also likely to be much colder that you expect.’’