Really not posting to put anyone off, you should go see this, you will enjoy it but I went today and had words with the local po po.
I did a drive by up to Derwent first just looking at how low it was, there was an empty police van parked up on the side of the road, it was in the same place when I came back past. I carried on down to the bottom dam where the plug holes are and parked just down the road with a few other cars.
I had a climb over and around one of the plug holes then walked along the water line to the other one then clambered up the side back on to the dam path and walked back along the dam to the path that goes down the side towards the service/pump buildings.
I went down to the buildings and had a look around. I was just looking at the ladder to get down to the dryest outlet (i was actually looking at the urbex sticker thats appeared on the top of the ladder, seen it loads, green face with a baseball cap) and out the corner of my eye thought i saw florescent jackets on the dam path.
I ignored it (I believe if you act responsible when you know you're being watched but pretend you don't know you are in fact being watched, it works wonders), i didn't look in their direction i just backed up, took a picture then carried on taking photos of the buildings. As I was stood in front of one I stared at the reflection in the window and could make out a copper up on the path looking in my direction.
After 15 minutes or so I started making my way back.
At the top there were two coppers, one said hi the other said how are we today, I replied great thanks and turned to carry on walking until a few steps in one said hold up fella.
They asked what I had been doing to which I replied taking photos, they said why, i said because I like industrial masonary where somthing as simple as a pump house was built as if it was a stately home. I cheekily said they should go have a look themselves and check out the archways of the outlets lol.
They said they had been watching me because they had been having reports of kids climbing down the locked off ladders and messing around in the tunnels and had someone recently letting off smoke cannisters, I said that's not my kind of thing I've only been taking pictures of the buildings and I'm too old to be climbing into tunnels full of water (always better to play dumb), they said they realise that and repeated that theyve been watching me.
We sort of stood there for less than a minute looking at each other, we stepped to the side to let a couple walk past then I started to turn and walk away and over my shoulder said enjoy your afternoon officers and one of them said back you too fella and that was it.
They didn't ask any details from me at all, they wernt chatting on their radios and they seemed quite laid back. Of course I walked slowly to the car and only stopped and got in when they had turned round and gone again, I'm not giving them my number plate I thought lol.
Like I say, don't be put off, I'm sure it was a one off, maybe just keep an eye out if you go in the middle of the day but I'm not so sure there's any different trespass laws on the waterways. These two certainly didn't seem too bothered.
There are a lot of cameras up but i doubt if they are monitored although if they are having some issues they may be checking footage, could just be dog walkers ringing it in though.
With hindsight maybe do the tunnel first then the climbing around on the top, I assume everyone watching me climb onto the plughole then watched me go down to the pump buildings lol.
I'll stick a few pics up here if you dont mind, pointless starting a new thread.
I didn't have enough balls today to go closer to the plughole centre, halfway down the steps was enough for me lol.
