27/05/2026
Emergency services are renewing calls for people to stay away from a flooded quarry at Harpur Hill in Buxton following a surge in visitors over the recent bank holiday weekend.
Despite its vivid blue appearance, the water at Hoffman Quarry is highly alkaline and potentially harmful, with a pH level comparable to bleach, and contains numerous hidden hazards beneath the surface.
Entering the water can result in skin irritation, eye damage, stomach problems, and other serious health effects, alongside an increased risk of injury or drowning.
The renewed warning comes amid growing concern about misleading posts circulating widely on social media, which present the site as an attractive place to swim or visit, and follows the tragic deaths of seven young people in open water in the UK over the weekend.
Risk Reduction Manager Amy Cartledge from Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service said: โDuring the recent warm weather, we have seen large numbers of people travelling to the quarry, along with several incidents involving disposable barbecues. We want to be absolutely clear โ this is not a safe place to visit.
โWhile it may look inviting, open water such as that at Hoffman Quarry, is extremely dangerous. Entering the water, or even going close to the edge, puts your life at serious risk.
โThe water remains cold even in hot temperatures, meaning cold water shock can occur within seconds. This can cause you to gasp for breath, lose control of your breathing and become disorientated very quickly.
โIn addition to the cold water, there are many hidden hazards beneath the surface, from old cars to animal carcasses, and the water itself is similar in PH value to bleach.
โLighting barbecues or campfires in these areas also brings further risk, particularly in dry conditions, where they can easily start fires and put surrounding land, wildlife and people in danger.
โThis quarry is not a place to swim and it is certainly not a tourist attraction. Please act responsibly, stay away from the area and out of the water.โ
Fire crews from Buxton have visited Hoffman Quarry this week to provide safety advice and raise awareness of the dangers, while Derbyshire Constabulary has also carried out enforcement action in relation to dangerously parked vehicles in the area.
Similar activity is being carried out at other areas of open water, including nearby Waterswallows Quarry which also attracted large numbers of people over the weekend.
Sergeant Patrick Haley, from the Buxton Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: โMany of these locations are on private land so people visiting them have often been trespassing, causing issues for landowners, as well as disruption for people living nearby.
โOne of the biggest issues we often have, and something which has been a particular problem over the bank holiday weekend, is dangerous and inconsiderate parking.
โOver the weekend, officers seized 21 cars because they were parked in ways which not only caused danger to other road users but could have prevented emergency services from getting through if they needed to.
โWe have had particular problems at the Woodhead Tunnel in Glossop and at Waterswallows and the Hoffman quarry in Buxton at the weekend.
โWe have even seen people parking on the A628 to visit the Woodhead site โ leaving their cars on a very busy and high speed road which is not only irresponsible but could have serious consequences.
โOfficers are also working to tackle the issue of anti-social behaviour involving nuisance motorbikes at the Hoffman Quarry in Buxton.
โThe area has seen repeated issues with off-road bikes being used in a dangerous manner with people trespassing and riding in hazardous areas.
โWe are urging people not to use the location, which is privately owned, to ride off-road bikes, and will be using the policing powers available to us, which can include seizing uninsured biker, to tackle these issues.
โSo if youโre thinking of finding somewhere to visit during this warm weather, there are a range of other, much safer locations with parking provided that you can choose in Derbyshire.
โPlease think twice before heading out and avoid these unsafe locations โ and wherever you go, park responsibly.
โYou donโt want to be the reason emergency services canโt get to help someone when they really need it.โ
