Police in Tenby have issued a warning on the dangers of ‘free-running’ on buildings in the town, after a frightening incident where a group of youngsters filmed themselves performing ‘dangerous manoeuvres’ at the top of an eight-storey apartment block.
The craze for free-running known as ‘Parkour’, has become more frequent in towns and cities across the UK in recent years.
The dangerous activity involves climbing and jumping between walls and buildings and running over rooftops, with police in Tenby stating that over the past few days they have had to speak to youths who have been carrying out the pastime at various locations in the resort, including school premises, and even an eight-storey high apartment building.
“The main aspect is safety, and while we are not trying to ruin anybody’s fun, this can be an extremely dangerous activity and I would urge anybody considering taking part to think very carefully about the dangers they are putting themselves and other members of the community in,” said a police spokesperson in Tenby.
“The other aspect is that youths are trespassing on the properties where they are carrying out this activity. We have identified a number of trespassers who have been spoken to and action is being taken.
“Anyone who identifies anyone trespassing is asked to contact Tenby police station on 101,” they added.
Pembrokeshire County Council have also issued a warning on the dangers of ‘Parkour’ activity as well as trespassing on private property.
“A video on social media shows some youngsters performing dangerous manoeuvres on an eight storey building and a school in Tenby.
“Not only are they putting their lives at risk they are acting illegally through trespassing on school property and in no way do we condone their behaviour,” they commented.