PEOPLE are being warned about the dangers of entering army training areas, especially during live missions.

Research has shown that Catterick Training Area has a high number of incursions, particularly by the military and their families, with hundreds of ‘near misses’ recorded within a six-month period. A near miss is recorded when unauthorised users come within 200m of a live exercise.

Incurring onto the estate while training is taking place puts individuals lives at risk along with their families and service personnel who are training.

In addition to the risk to safety, accessing the estate when it is not safe to do so can be disruptive to military exercises and result in a cost to the MOD if training is delayed or cancelled.

In response to the findings, The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), who is responsible for managing and maintaining the estate on which the Armed Forces train, has launched a new safety campaign which aims to prevent serious accidents on the training area in Catterick.

‘The Training Area Isn’t’ is the first phase of a wider DIO campaign warning users of the dangers of accessing the training estate where and when it is not safe to do so.

DIO uses a range of measures to keep users of the training estate safe including using flags, signage and wardens, however these warnings are often ignored.

The ‘The Training Area Isn’t’ campaign uses powerful images to reinforce safety messages. Posters highlighting the campaign will be displayed at locations in and around Catterick Garrison.

Brigadier Jonathan Bartholomew, Head of DIO’s Overseas & Training Region, said: "The Catterick Training Area offers some beautiful footpaths and bridleways and we don’t want to deter people from using them. The message from DIO is clear. We want you, your families and the local community to use them responsibly.

"The military train every day, so only access the training area where and when it is safe to do so.

“At Catterick this is only on recognised public rights of way and bridleways. There is no right to roam.

“Just because you can’t see or hear a live exercise, doesn’t mean that it isn’t taking place.

“We want to keep you and your family safe. We ask you to work with us to promote this critical message.”