Nail trap on byway near Tilshead 'beggars belief'

The discovery of the trap was discussed by members of the Wiltshire and Swindon Countryside Access Forum on Wednesday

Members of an off-road motorcycle group have condemned the placing of a "spike trap" along a public right of way.

The metre-long piece of wood with nails sticking out was found in a puddle on a well-used byway near the village of Tilshead on Salisbury Plain.

The Wiltshire Trail Riders Fellowship (TRF) said it was "appalled at the trap" which "beggared belief".

Wiltshire Council said it was extremely concerned at the potential for injury and damage the trap could have caused.

'Unimaginable pain'

A spokesman said anyone using the track, whether on foot, as a horse rider, or in any vehicle, had a legal right to do so.

"We deplore any deliberate attempt to obstruct the byway or to endanger anyone using it," he said.

"If this has been done deliberately [we ask that] the person responsible considers the potential consequences of their actions and does not repeat the offence."

In a posting on Facebook, the Wiltshire TRF said this kind of trap, found on the track between Tilshead and Westdown artillery range, could cause "terrible injury to pedestrians, horses and dogs".

"The intended damage to vehicle tyres is minor by comparison," the posting added.

The trap was condemned by many countryside users

And the British Horse Society said the presence of such a trap in any location was "extremely concerning" .

Spokesman Mark Weston said as well as doing untold damage to any human, it could have caused serious injury and unimaginable pain to a horse.

The discovery of the trap was discussed by members of the Wiltshire and Swindon Countryside Access Forum on Wednesday afternoon.