So That'll Be All Right Then

I'd rather be in the countryside than in a park. On the other hand, Roundhay Park, less than a mile from our house, is a very big park, and some bits are formal, for those who like formal bits, and some bits are wilder, for those, like me, who prefer wilder bits.

There are two lakes: Waterloo Lake, known descriptively as The Big Lake, is - well - very big for a city lake.

It used to be a quarry until the lake was made and it is dark and cold and deep - "bottomless" is how it's described locally.

From time to time over the years people have drowned in it, some intending to commit suicide and some by accident. Most recently, a couple of summers ago, two teenage boys were drowned, one trying to help the other.

But now the council has hit on a winning formula to stop this: and it is Warning Notices, many of them, differently-numbered, all round the lake.

"Leeds City Council Parks and Countryside" it reads. "Emergency Notice. You are at safety point no. 7. DO NOT Enter the water. Children must be supervised at all times. In the event of an emergency dial 999."

Okay, if these notices saved even one life it would be worth it. But they won't. They won't stop a person who wants to jump in to end it all, and they certainly won't stop teenagers who, not understanding the dangers, fancy a swim on a hot day, or a walk on the ice on a cold one.

And, come on, the lake's not THAT big. If someone's fallen in, a passer-by - who, you never know, might think to dial 999 without even a notice to tell them to do it - would be perfectly capable of saying "up the far end" or "next to the cafe" rather than "it's by notice number - -er - - what - - where's the number, I can't see?"

To me, the notices are one more taming of the wildness of the park, more signs of man's intervention in the wilder bits, and I think that's a shame. If there must be notices, perhaps there should be a map of the park at either end of the lake with a note of how big and cold and deep and dangerous the lake is.

Because, sadly, many people seem to expect the countryside - and especially parks - to be like a large, safety-conscious Center Parcs where they don't have to take responsibility for their own safety.

No, these notices won't save lives, and I expect the Council knows it. But they might stop a lawsuit from time to time, and I expect the Council knows that too.