Prehen Woods barbed wire hazard highlighted
A Derry councillor has highlighted the potential hazard posed to children, walkers and animals by “tangled messes” of barbed wire between Prehen Woods and the City of Derry Golf Club.
Cllr Shaun Harkin (People Before Profit) told The Derry News: “There is barbed wire adjacent to the golf course, and, as far as I can see, there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason for why it has been placed where it has.
“It doesn’t stop people from getting onto the golf course because there are lots of paths that take you directly onto the golf course from Prehen Woods, so the barbed wire is not keeping anybody off the golf course if that is where they want to go,” he added.
“The barbed wire is extremely hazardous because it juts out onto the walking paths within Prehen Woods, so, if you are a young kid or if you don’t see the barbed wire because it can be dark in the woods, you could actually injure yourself.
“I would say it could also cause injury to dogs who might be getting walked in Prehen Woods.
“For such a beautiful spot to have that barbed wire just tangled in with trees and shrubs and undergrowth and protruding out onto the pathway, doesn’t make any sense. I think it should be removed immediately.
“Prehen Woods is an ancient and beautiful location. Lots of people come here as it is great for walks. If you’ve been here during bluebell season, it is amazing, the woods are gorgeous. People have fought very hard to protect Prehen Woods and you can see why when you walk around. It is a peaceful, beautiful setting, a great habitat, a great resource to the town,” said Cllr Harkin.
“It is great for kids to come here and be out in nature, enjoying it but for such a beautiful spot to have that barbed wire just kind of tangled in with trees and jutting out onto the pathway, doesn’t make any sense.
“I think it should be removed and if there needs to be some sort of fencing, it should be more appropriate, sympathetic to the surroundings.
“I contacted the Woodland Trust, which has responsibility for Prehen Woods and asked it to remove the barbed wire. The Trust told me the barbed wasn’t actually theirs, it was the responsibility of the City of Derry Golf Club.
“I subsequently contacted City of Derry Golf Club to ask them for a meeting to discuss the barbed wire so hopefully through these conversations with both the Woodland Trust and the golf club,we can see if we can get the issue resolved,” said Cllr Harkin.
If you are a young kid or if you don’t see the barbed wire because it can be dark in the woods, you could actually injure yourself.
In a statement to The Derry News, a spokesperson for City of Derry Golf Club it took “any potential hazard to children, walkers or animals seriously”.
“[We] have been involved in running the club for the past two years and, during that time, we have received one previous email raising a concern about barbed wire in the area between the golf course and Prehen Woods,” they added.
“At the time [we] replied asking for clarification on the exact location, but unfortunately we did not receive a response.
“Following the enquiry, our greenkeeping staff walked the boundary on three separate occasions in an effort to identify the area being referred to. We were unable to locate any barbed wire on golf club property matching the description.
“To the best of our knowledge, the club has not installed barbed wire or any similar obstruction restricting access from Prehan Woods.
“Unfortunately, the golf club does experience a considerable amount of vandalism and unauthorised access from the direction of Prehen Woods, costing the club in the region of £1,000 each year. Despite this, we have never sought to address this by installing hazardous barriers such as barbed wire.
“We would, of course, take any potential hazard to children, walkers and animals seriously. If Cllr Harkin can provide us with the exact location or a photograph of the wire in question, we would be very happy to investigate it immediately and establish whether it is situated on golf club property”.