I WAS in Greenhead Park on the Bank Holiday Monday and not only witnessed the devastation of the site by the heavy vehicles (handled by people who didn’t seem to care), but also observed potentially dangerous manoeuvres and operations.
1. Vehicles being winched by tractors in areas of public access. As a vehicle recovery technician I would not be permitted to carry out winching operations until the work area had been coned off and secured from public access. These “clowns” stretched steel winch cables across the main footpath, just feet away from on-lookers and members of the public using the path to cross the park.
2. At the end of the afternoon performance, the audience was encouraged to exit the arena via doors at the rear of the big top, straight into the churned-up field and then left to their own devices to find their way to the main footpath. This particular audience included a number of parents with push-chairs, disabled people with mobility difficulties including wheelchair and walking frame-users. These people were offered no assistance by circus stewards, nor had any provision or reasonable adjustments been made to accommodate the needs of the disabled. Surely this is contrary to the Disability Discrimination Act.
My feeling is that, clearly, Greenhead Park is not a suitable venue for the circus and its large goods vehicles, as the land has insufficient drainage and the excess water makes the land unstable and unable to cope with the excessive weight of these vehicle.
The circus should not be allowed to operate on any site until a proper risk assessment and disaster plan has been submitted to Kirklees Council for approval.
John Kimberley
Huddersfield
