Contact: Graham Sievers

+44 (0)77 22282 946

graham.sievers@perfectlypicked.com

For immediate release:

Manchester, 30 June 2016

"Have a good Summer break"doesn't mean breaking a leg!

Don't be the Goof on the Roof

VPS Site Security launches social media campaign to warn of the risks of playing on construction sites this summer.

Using some hard-hitting images, the digital media campaign aims to reduce the number of incidents of young people playing in and around or on the rooftops of building works or empty sites.

Following a recent spate of children suffering serious or sometimes fatal injuries, VPS Site Security are seeking to get the message across to young people about the dangers of vacant sites being used as playgrounds. One of the pictures shows a broken leg with bone visible.

"We estimate that probably over 3,000 young people are taking risks every week trespassing on construction sites or vacant buildings." says Simon Alderson, Managing Director of VPS Site Security.

As summer holidays approach, unattended construction sites will become a magnet for children looking to explore and play in them, despite being full of hidden dangers such as uneven grounds, incomplete staircases, roofs, glass window frames, and motor equipment.

"Kids are naturally curious, they might get bored during the vacation, and so unwittingly take steps that could lead to a broken leg or worse." Comments Mr Alderson. "I know one of the campaign's pictures is raw, quite literally, but when we showed young people the range of posters, that was the one that most said made them think more carefully about the dangers."

The campaign is not just directed at young people, but also at owners and managers of construction sites left temporarily vacant.

Mr Alderson adds "Because they are dangerous places, site managers should do their utmost to keep them safe and secure whilst they are unattended. Combustible materials should be removed, the security of perimeters and all access points checked regularly, and, for particularly vulnerable sites, they should consider CCTV monitoring."

Anyone who owns, or controls, a site has a legal duty of care to protect people on the site from foreseeable harm, and this duty even extends to people who are trespassing. People injured on a site, even if they are unauthorised trespassers, can sue the owners and managers for negligence and for responsibility for their injuries.

ENDS

‘Don't be the Goof on the Roof' Social media campaign has three photos currently available: X-Ray, Girl with broken arm, Bone fromNatasha.estrin@vpsgroup.com

See them on Twitter @vacantproperty1 and LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/vps-the-vacant-property-specialists

and atwww.vpsgroup.comPress Releases

Further details, interview with or hi-res photos of Simon Alderson, and copies of the campaign images call Graham Sievers.

VPS Site Security

Broadgate House, Broadway Business Park, Chadderton, Greater Manchester, Lancashire OL9 9XA

Phone: 0800 294 2828

VPS Site Security specialise in bespoke solutions for protecting large and remote sites, across a range of industries including

Construction, Events, Utilities and Highways. SSAIB and SIA certified security suppliers and installers, all their security products are made, tried and tested in the UK. They are also the market leaders in remote, 24/7 monitored CCTV security; innovators and sole suppliers of the award winning JCB Smart Tower® .

About the VPS Group:

VPSsecure more than 50,000 residential and commercial properties and employ over 1600 staff in locations across the UK, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and mainland Europe. They specialise in securing, maintaining and managing vacant property across a wide range of customer and industry sectors.

Core building services cover the vacant, unoccupied and void property lifecycle from an initial risk assessment, to security, including guarding, monitoring, clearing, cleaning, maintenance and preparation.  These services protect properties against unauthorised access and a variety of hazards such as arson, theft, squatting and unauthorised occupation. www.vpsgroup.com

Examples of headlines monitored by VPS about the dangers posed to children straying onto derelict sites:

Burnley boy 'critical' after falling off school roof June 2016

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-36575053

Police warning that people going into decaying building putting themselves in danger of injury June 2016

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/moray/elgin/936672/derelict-hospital-elgin-becomes-target-vandals/

Urgent calls for action at death trap derelict mill June 2016
http://www.wigantoday.net/news/local/urgent-calls-for-action-at-death-trap-derelict-mill-1-7962040#ixzz4CJkzbV3w

Hampshire police warning over free-running in derelict buildings June 2016

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/district/southampton/14519321._You_re_putting_yourselves_at_risk___Police_warning_over_free_running_in_derelict_buildings/

Danger alert as children trespass on derelict ex-MoD site May 2016
http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/crime/danger-alert-as-children-trespass-on-derelict-ex-mod-site-1-7401391#ixzz4CJkgt16D

19 year old in critical condition after falling through roof of vacant buildingJanuary 2016

http://www.thejournal.ie/man-fall-vacant-building-dublin-2531111-Jan2016/

Boy dies after falling through roof of disused industrial unit n/k

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-197705/Boy-dies-falling-roof.html

Newspaper headlines from last year's campaign included:

Paedophile snatched boy he saw in derelict school before subjecting him to sex attackMarch 2015

Mum hits out at needles being left outside derelict house near kids playingMarch 2015

Pub safety concernsfor "children who have been seen on the roof falling through" March 2015

Children trespassing at Sleaford Bass Maltings 'dicing with death'Feb 2015