Bridge swinging stunt condemned

The jumpers tie themselves to the bridge with a nylon rope

People who risked their lives by filming themselves swinging like a pendulum underneath a bridge in West Lothian have been condemned by police.

The so-called bridge swingers strap themselves to the side of the 70ft bridge with rope before leaping off and swinging just feet from the ground.

Video of the stunt in Almondvale Country Park, near East Calder, has appeared on the YouTube website.

Police warned the craze could lead to serious injury.

Bridge-swinging is offered professionally by extreme sport organisations and is widely available on internet sites.

One site promoting the activity in Scotland, Vertical Descents, describes bridge-swinging as "like bungee jumping with a swing".

It's a very dangerous sport if the right safety procedures aren't followed Sam Starkie Vertical Descents

Sam Starkie, co-partner of Vertical Descents, said he was "shocked" to learn that people were participating in unsupervised bridge-swinging.

He added: "It's a very dangerous sport if the right safety procedures aren't followed.

"We've been offering bridge swinging to our clients for just over 5 years, and about 250 partake in it safely every year.

"We use proper safety equipment such as climbing ropes, helmets and a full body harness. We also change our ropes after so many jumps because they become worn and frayed quite easily.

"As a company we wouldn't advise anyone to attempt this sort of thing without the proper equipment and expertise."

'Scary as hell'

The information accompanying the YouTube video reads: "Bridge swinging in East Calder, West Lothian just outside Edinburgh. Featuring Mike Smith, Chris McCann, Scott Ritchie and others whose names I haven't collected yet.

"Its only going to get bigger and better from here onwards. By the way, its scary as hell."

Alongside the West Lothian footage on YouTube are other larger jumps from around the world.

In Australia, bridge-swingers regularly hurl themselves off bridges of up to 500ft high.

A Lothian and Borders Police spokesman said: "We would urge people to exercise caution when participating in this so-called craze, as they could cause themselves serious injury."