DEVICES described as the human form of animal traps have been found on a popular cycle route in Skipton.

Flat metal plates with inch long spikes sticking out and 18-inch metal poles spiked on one end have been recovered from the moor at the top of Shortbank Road, which is frequently used by children, mountain bikers and trials bikers.

PC Chris Howarth, of Skipton Police, said they were so dangerous that if anybody fell on one of them it was likely they would sustain a punctured heart or lung.

He added that he thought the devices had been made specifically for the purpose of deterring bikers from the land but they were so treacherous, they were just the equivalent of an animal trap.

Police were alerted to the spikes by a mother whose son had been cycling up there and found one of the devices.

Now police have recovered 18 of the traps but believe more could have been laid.

PC Howarth said bikers on the land had been pulling them out of the ground for about a month now, but when they went back a week later they had been replaced. "Within a week someone is going up there and replacing them," he said.

He added that the police even feared for their own safety when they were looking for them. "They are really hard to spot as they are the same colour as the ground."

On the night the police went up, PC Howarth saw how many people used the area for recreational use. He said while officers searched the woods near Jenny Gill Reservoir there was family out cycling and a group of children playing.

And there was evidence that it was a well used playground for children because of the number of rope swings which had been built.

So far the spikes have not been found on the actual footpath but they have been discovered just off it and in the adjacent woods.

The plates and the poles, which are similar to police stingers, are buried so that just the spikes are visible. "Someone is going to a lot of trouble to make and bury them," said PC Howarth.

The police are aware that the land is privately owned and they are in the process of contacting the landowner to see if he has any information.

PC Howarth, who is leading the investigation, said if residents saw anyone acting strangely in the area or burying things in the ground they should contact him immediately on 01756 793377.

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