Little Paxton Quarry urges visitors to use caution

Public encouraged to stick to footpaths on Heron Trail amid safety concerns around high-traffic access routes

COMMITTED to protecting public health and safety at all times, Little Paxton Quarry, which lies adjacent to the popular Paxton Pits Nature Reserve in Cambridge, is warning visitors of the dangers of wandering off the designated footpaths and on to high-traffic access roads.

Owned and operated by Aggregate Industries, Little Paxton Quarry sits on a site of special scientific interest (SSSI), next to the Paxton Pits Nature Reserve. The reserve stretches over 78ha of lakes, meadows, grassland and woodland, the quarry regularly receives visitors keen to explore the site’s extensive wildlife of birds, insects and flora.

With increasing numbers visitors each year making the most of the Heron Trail, a two-mile wildlife route which crosses the quarry’s access routes at several points, Aggregate Industries are raising concerns about members of the public putting themselves in danger from oncoming traffic while walking on these roads.

Matthew Sharpe, quarry operations manager at Aggregate Industries, commented: ‘As one of the region’s most biodiverse areas, Paxton Pits Nature Reserve is home to a number of species of birds, insects and other wildlife and inevitably attracts thousands of visitors each year.

‘However, we take the issue of public safety incredibly seriously and would like to warn visitors of the dangers of wandering off the designated footpaths on to high-traffic access roads following a number of incidents in recent years which have raised concerns.

‘We’d urge all visitors to stay on the designated footpaths so that they can continue to enjoy the Heron Trail and its many features in the safest manner possible.’