SWIMMERS have been moved on from a quarry near Malvern where several people have drowned in the past.

Four people were found to be swimming in Gullet Quarry and 32 others were seen over the barriers - before all were moved on by police community support officers during the bank holiday weekend.

The Upton Safer Neighbourhood Team tweeted about the problem over the weekend of August 24 and 25.

Last month, calls to clamp down on swimming in the quarry were backed by the Malvern Hills Trust and West Mercia Police.

The quarry is regularly visited by walkers but, on hot days, people often go into the water to cool off, despite the signs that warn of the danger and to keep out.

Since 1973, the quarry has claimed the lives of eight people, as swimmers often get into trouble with the cold and deep water.

In the summer of 2013 two young men tragically drowned in the lake at the quarry off Castlemorton Common.

Russell O’Neill, died in the quarry on July 6, 2013 and Justas Juzenas, died on July 12, 2013, less than a week later.

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New calls to clamp down on Gullet Quarry swimmers

Later that year, the trust commissioned the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) to produce a report on safety at the quarry.

Representatives from each group sent out the message to ‘stay out and stay alive.’

The report recommended several safety measures for the site and, as a result, the trust erected fencing, installed new signs and planted thorny vegetation to act as a barrier.

It is against the Malvern Hills Trust’s bye-laws to “Bathe in any pond, lake or stream on the Hills where bathing has been prohibited.” Anyone in breach of this bye-law could face police action and a fine of up to £500.

Malvern Hills District Council also launched a survey asking residents if they were aware of the laws around swimming in the quarry.