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Boscombe's 'diamond Giza'

9:00am Tuesday 2nd June 2009 in


THE great pyramid of Bournemouth is not one of the world’s best-known tourist destinations but it has been attracting a lot of attention during the recent sunny weather.

Effectively a pile of sand created by work on Boscombe’s surf reef, the pyramid looks as realistic as those in Giza from a distance.

But step a little closer and you’ll realise it’s just part of the construction process – and a potential hazard.

Despite warning signs and fencing – which have been approved by health and safety chiefs - scores of beach users put their safety at risk over the weekend by climbing to the top, despite the protestations of beach staff.

View our surf reef section stories, the history of the surf reef pictures of its construction and watch footage on how it will work

See the Related Links at the bottom of this story for more

Now Geoff Turnbull, Bournemouth council’s engineering services manager, is urging people to take care.

“We are asking people to act responsibly and follow the warning signs which clearly state you should not enter the site compound for health and safety reasons” he said. “Unfortunately over the weekend a number of beach users chose to ignore the warning signs, as well as instructions from our seafront rangers and the RNLI.”

Mr Turnbull said the site will be inspected on a daily basis to ensure guidelines are followed and said the reef remains on schedule for completion in September.

“With the recent great weather the team have been able to make very good progress. People will already see that the piles of sand has diminished and it will gradually reduce in size

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Comments(18)

ben111 says...
9:40am Tue 2 Jun 09

Quote ,, Effectively a pile of sand created by work on Boscombe’s surf reef, the pyramid looks as realistic as those in Giza from a distance. ,, Echo you are the weekest link goodbey..

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John T says...
9:49am Tue 2 Jun 09

MeSphinx this will be here for ages yet!

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davep1 says...
10:27am Tue 2 Jun 09

Surely this is a serious health and safety risk.

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overthehills says...
10:32am Tue 2 Jun 09

Yes I am definitely seeing old geezers in this photo.

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UndeadMessiah says...
10:39am Tue 2 Jun 09

"the pyramid looks as realistic as those in Giza from a distance."

You've never been to Egypt and seen the actual pyramids, have you?

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davep1 says...
10:40am Tue 2 Jun 09

Mr Turnbull said the site will be inspected on a daily basis to ensure guidelines are followed and said the reef remains on schedule for completion in September' What year though?


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Big Aussie Fib says...
11:37am Tue 2 Jun 09

View our surf reef section stories, the history of the surf reef pictures of its construction and watch footage on how it will workThis year. But feel free to moan about for the rest of your miserable life.
x
x

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ben111 says...
12:59pm Tue 2 Jun 09

its all a mirage

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KLH says...
3:48pm Tue 2 Jun 09

Health and safety - goodness sake - 40 years ago that would be swarming with kids - same as the stream in Lower Gardens. Whatever happened to the 'enter at your own risk' signs - nowadays it is just No. I paddled in the stream today - sod the signs, I did in the 70s and I will now!

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HughJarse says...
4:13pm Tue 2 Jun 09

Is this not just Bournemouth's entry for the biggest sandcastle competition?

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rook says...
4:14pm Tue 2 Jun 09

This pile of sand actually looks to me MORE realistic than the real thing (although I have to admit I've only ever seen real pyramids on Thunderbirds). With the scorching Summer predicted, I'll bet the Egyptian tourist board are having crisis meetings as we speak.

However .... I might pop along with my snowboard later this evening. Who needs the sea to be able to surf - just leave and install a ski-lift.

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GB1980 says...
4:44pm Tue 2 Jun 09

KLH wrote:
Health and safety - goodness sake - 40 years ago that would be swarming with kids - same as the stream in Lower Gardens. Whatever happened to the 'enter at your own risk' signs - nowadays it is just No. I paddled in the stream today - sod the signs, I did in the 70s and I will now!
I would have thought 40 years ago parents would be more concerned about their children playing near large heaps of building material.

I don't see what the problem is with paddling in the stream, if you slip over and break your leg it's easier for nanny state to pick you up and brush you off than to dig you out from a sand pyramid.
"Do what you like but accept the consequences" seems to have fallen out of favour in recent years.

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cardomon says...
5:48pm Tue 2 Jun 09

What the hell is a "Seafront Ranger" ? Are they the people who look the other way when cyclists go past ? Are they any relation to power rangers ?
And the RNLI ? why are they telling people to get off a pile of sand whats it got to do with them ? Perhaps they should be stopping boats crashing into the pier.
Give a guy a uniform !
No wonder kids behave they way they do with all these wannabe jobsworths trying to suck all the fun out of everyday life.

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georgie7 says...
7:03pm Tue 2 Jun 09

it was actually there last year as well but as they are years behind with the reef project i guess its there for a while longer , i will say on a possitive note the seafront complete with harvester new shops and the overstrand look very smart its nice to see at least that part finished :)

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KLH says...
7:07pm Tue 2 Jun 09

The stream in the lower gardens has a sign on the bridge near the bandstand saying that the water should not be entered because it is a natural watercourse. What is the sea then? Is the sea cleaner than the stream? Me not think so!

Oh, by the way - I myself climbed that mound of sand in Boscombe back last year - great fun! Couldn't resist...

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Skono says...
1:48am Wed 3 Jun 09

Here is a thought, why don't they make the pile of sand 1000 times bigger and then spread it out across the rest of the beach to repair the destruction of nature that our lovely Council have already done....just a thought.

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Skono says...
1:54am Wed 3 Jun 09

Oh whats that you say? 1000 times bigger and one storm and it would all go and visit Christcurch. Maybe we should give all the criminals and community service people shovels and make them dig the beach down 15 feet and then bring in new sand and start all over again to bring our beach back to what it should be, an attraction, not a gravel car park. This reef is a bigger white elephant that the awful IMAX. I miss our sandy beach.

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KLH says...
10:16am Wed 3 Jun 09

I'd give the criminals and the local yobs a bucket and wire brush each and tell them to go and scrub the bird/squirrel s**t off the benches in and around the bandstand in the Lower Gardens - that should keep 'em busy for a week, they're a disgrace.

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More Surf Reef stories


RIDDLE OF THE SANDS: This massive man-made mount, resembling an Egyptian pyramid, is part of the Boscombe artificial surf reef construction process THEY SPHINX IT’S ALL OVER: From a distance the Boscombe sand heap looks a bit like... well okay, perhaps not!

RIDDLE OF THE SANDS: This massive man-made mount, resembling an Egyptian pyramid, is part of the Boscombe artificial surf reef construction process

THEY SPHINX IT’S ALL OVER: From a distance the Boscombe sand heap looks a bit like... well okay, perhaps not!



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