A COUNCILLOR has expressed ‘disappointment’ that police have labelled children jumping into the river at Fox’s Field in Wellington as ‘anti-social behaviour’.

Sgt Jon O’Connor, of Wellington Police, had told members of Wellington Town Council on Monday (July 3) that there had been “recent incidents of anti-social behaviour in the forms of river jumping and fire lighting in Fox’s Field.”

But Cllr John Thorne said: “I don’t see that river jumping is anti-social behaviour. There is a risk jumping into water but the children know what the water is like there, they have been doing this for generations.

“Everything has an inherent risk, including children on swings in a play park who might fall off and break a leg but we don’t tell them not to use the swings.

“I’m disappointed that our local police are talking nonsense about river jumping being classed as anti-social behaviour.”

Cllr Nancy Powell-Brace added: “I totally agree – it’s not anti-social behaviour. I wish more children were jumping into the river rather than setting fires in the park.”

Cllr Mark Lithgow quipped that he would rather see the police investigating those companies who were illegally dumping waste into the rivers than spending time on calling children jumping into the rivers as ‘anti-social’.

Sgt O’Connor, in his monthly report to the council, had said: “I appreciate the river is seen as an attractive way to cool off in the hot weather but wild swimming and jumping into unknown water carries inherent risks as seen with the injuries recently suffered. I would urge young people and their parents to consider their safety at all times.”

Sgt O’Connor was referring to an incident on June 23 when a girl broke her leg jumping into the river at Fox’s Field.

Town clerk Dave Farrow, in his monthly report, said: “I have spoken to the father of the young person involved and passed on the council’s best wishes. He was clear that it was an unfortunate incident with nobody to blame.”

However, Mr Farrow said a health and safety assessment was being commissioned for the whole of the ‘green corridor’ land now managed by the council.