Safety warning issued ahead of cheese rolling event
The event, which is taking place on Bank Holiday Monday (27 May), attracts thousands of people to Cooper's Hill in Brockworth.
The Tewkesbury Borough Safety Advisory Group (SAG), which is made up of various agencies including the emergency services, have declared the event unsafe.
The SAG have asked those organising the cheese rolling event for more information on how they intend to deal with issues around traffic and parking on the day.
However, organisers have not provided this information or submitted plans detailing how they will keep members of the public safe.
The group is particularly concerned with how the emergency services would be able to respond if there was a major incident with multiple casualties.
At last year’s event a number of people suffered injuries which required emergency treatment by paramedics. But ambulances and rapid response vehicles struggled to gain access to the site for a prolonged period of time.
This put a strain on the resources of both Gloucestershire Constabulary and South West Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, impacting emergency service provision.
Gloucestershire Constabulary's Assistant Chief Constable Arman Mathieson said: “The cheese rolling at Cooper’s Hill is a unique tradition in our county and we have no desire to stop it.
“However, the SAG has again declared the event unsafe and we therefore have a duty to share this with the public.
“We are advising those who intend to attend or participate in the cheese rolling to consider the risk they might be putting themselves at.”