Elf n’ safety warning: You could die laughing at these amazing pictures of the Nanny State stating the obvious
By Steve Doughty
It may seem obvious that things left out in the rain will get wet.
Not obvious enough, though, for authorities in central London, who have responded to the danger of damp public benches by sticking notices on them, warning: ‘Caution: seats may become wet.’
Meanwhile, in Brighton the risks of water are highlighted by a sign saying: ‘It is dangerous and forbidden to jump, dive or swim from the pier.’
Scroll down for a sample of ludicrous signs put together by the Manifesto Club. ‘Attention Please’ features examples of official over caution messages collected between autumn 2007 and the end of last year.
Buzz off: Wasps near London Bridge
And they’re not talking about the financial crisis: A recycling bank in Edinburgh
Life’s no beach: Essex warns of coastal calamities
Along the Sussex coast, the Environment Agency has labelled a beach with a notice warning of no fewer than four ‘hazards’.
Apparently, those daring to venture past the sign are in danger from a slippery surface, sudden drops, uneven surfaces and underwater obstacles.
In Leeds, unwary railway passengers are greeted at the station by a notice warning them to ‘keep off the track’.
The proliferation of nannying health and safety notices drew a protest yesterday from the Manifesto Club, a campaign group opposed to over-regulation.
Budding criminals: Norwich protects its displays
Don’t run for the train! Network Rail at Euston
Road test: Travellers are advised to take the path to avoid the hole in a hedgerow in Morayshire
It warned of a ‘vast expansion of pseudo-safety signage, which does not warn about real risks at all.’
The group published a photo album of the worst and most useless examples of signs, taped-off zones and temporary fencing, saying: ‘This collection of cones, safety tape and caution notices, which hang like Christmas decorations off the urban architecture, provides no useful information about hazards.
‘They are only an excuse to regulate public behaviour.’
Grave concerns: You’re taking your life in your hands walking through this cemetery in Tooting, London
Benchmark of the bleedin’ obvious: This wooden seat in London could get wet – if it rains
In at the deep end: At a fountain in Leicester
The Club counted 95 safety notices along a 200-yard stretch of pavement between the Royal Festival Hall and Waterloo Bridge on the South Bank in London.
In Morayshire, the group’s supporters found a near-deserted country lane with a hole under a hedge on one side. Someone, however, found it necessary not only to put up safety fencing but a notice saying ‘pedestrians’ over an arrow pointing at the roadway.
In Essex, Christmas revellers were warned: ‘Danger. Please do not touch the festive lights’.
Walk on the wild side: This place is called Falls for a reason – so watch your step in the Highlands
Holy orders: One thing could lead to another, near a mosque in Edinburgh
A flower bed in Norwich warns the criminally-minded: ‘This flower bed is covered by CCTV.’
In Edinburgh, those using bottle banks are told: ‘DANGER. Climbing into this bank can result in death or serious injury.’
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1196938/Elf-n-safety-warning-You-die-laughing-Nanny-State-states-obvious.html