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30.
June
2016.
'Have a good Summer break' doesn't mean breaking a leg

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Contact: Graham Sievers

+44 (0)77 22282 946

graham.sievers@perfectlypicked.com

 

For immediate release:

Manchester, 30 June 2016

 

"Have a good Summer break"doesn't mean breaking a leg.

 

Don't be the Goof on the Roof

 

The VPS Group launches social media campaign to warn of the risks of playing in disused buildings and on construction sites this summer.

Using some hard-hitting images, the digital media campaign aims to reduce the number of incidents of young people playing in and around or on the rooftops of disused or derelict sites.

Following a recent spate of children suffering serious or sometimes fatal injuries, property services company VPS are seeking to get the message across to young people about the dangers of vacant sites being used as playgrounds. One of the pictures shows a broken leg with bone visible.

"Records are hard to come by, but we know that 15,000 cases of trespassing occur on the railway network alone, so a conservative estimate for similar incidents on disused buildings and construction sites is over ten times that figure. That means that probably over 3,000 young people are taking risks every week." explains Gavin Pringle, Managing Director of VPS.

As summer holidays approach, empty and derelict buildings will become a magnet for children looking to explore and play in them. Neglected buildings are full of hidden dangers such as weak roofs, staircases that lead to nowhere, broken glass, rusty metal railings and holes in the ground covered by rubbish.

"A mixture of curiosity, of daring one another to take risks, or by just not realising the potential dangers means kids are unwittingly taking a step that could lead to a broken leg or worse." Comments Mr Pringle.

The campaign is not just directed at young people but also at landlords and managers of unoccupied properties and also construction sites left temporarily vacant.

Mr Pringle adds "Because they are dangerous places, property owners and managers of vacant sites should do their utmost to keep them safe and secure whilst they lie empty. Combustible materials should be removed, the security of perimeters and all access points checked regularly, and, for particularly vulnerable sites, they should consider CCTV monitoring. Also some vacant buildings that are in a decent state could be made inhabitable and suitable for live-in guardians. Occupied buildings are less susceptible to trespassers."

Anyone who owns, or controls, property has a legal duty of care to protect people on the property from foreseeable harm, and this duty even extends to people who are trespassing on the property. People injured on a site, even if they are unauthorised trespassers, can sue property owners and facility managers for negligence and for responsibility for their injuries.

ENDS

‘Don't be the Goof on the Roof' Social media campaign has three photos currently available: X-Ray, Girl with broken arm, Bone fromNatasha.estrin@vpsgroup.com

See them on Twitter @vacantproperty1 and LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/vps-the-vacant-property-specialists

and atwww.vpsgroup.comPress Releases

Further details, interview with or hi-res photos of Gavin Pringle, and copies of the campaign images call Graham Sievers.

Graham Sievers+44(0)77 222 82 946Mobile phonegraham.sievers@perfectlypicked.com

 

VPS Group

Broadgate House, Broadway Business Park, Chadderton, Greater Manchester, Lancashire OL9 9XA

Phone: 0330 005 5300

About the VPS Group:

VPSsecure more than 50,000 residential and commercial properties and employ over 1600 staff in locations across the UK, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and mainland Europe. They specialise in securing, maintaining and managing vacant property across a wide range of customer and industry sectors.

Core building services cover the vacant, unoccupied and void property lifecycle from an initial risk assessment, to security, including guarding, monitoring, clearing, cleaning, maintenance and preparation.  These services protect properties against unauthorised access and a variety of hazards such as arson, theft, squatting and unauthorised occupation. www.vpsgroup.com

Examples of headlines monitored by VPS about the dangers posed to children straying onto derelict sites:

Burnley boy 'critical' after falling off school roof June 2016

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-36575053

Police warning that people going into decaying building putting themselves in danger of injury June 2016

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/moray/elgin/936672/derelict-hospital-elgin-becomes-target-vandals/

 Urgent calls for action at death trap derelict mill June 2016

http://www.wigantoday.net/news/local/urgent-calls-for-action-at-death-trap-derelict-mill-1-7962040#ixzz4CJkzbV3w

 Hampshire police warning over free-running in derelict buildings June 2016

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/district/southampton/14519321._You_re_putting_yourselves_at_risk___Police_warning_over_free_running_in_derelict_buildings/

 Danger alert as children trespass on derelict ex-MoD site May 2016

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/crime/danger-alert-as-children-trespass-on-derelict-ex-mod-site-1-7401391#ixzz4CJkgt16D

 19 year old in critical condition after falling through roof of vacant buildingJanuary 2016

http://www.thejournal.ie/man-fall-vacant-building-dublin-2531111-Jan2016/

 Boy dies after falling through roof of disused industrial unit n/k

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-197705/Boy-dies-falling-roof.html

 Newspaper headlines from last year's campaign included:

Paedophile snatched boy he saw in derelict school before subjecting him to sex attackMarch 2015

Mum hits out at needles being left outside derelict house near kids playingMarch 2015

Pub safety concernsfor "children who have been seen on the roof falling through" March 2015

Children trespassing at Sleaford Bass Maltings 'dicing with death'Feb 2015