Warning over Quantum Leap climbers

Shrewsbury's landmark Quantum Leap sculpture has been called a health hazard after youths were caught climbing the 40ft concrete structure.

Richard Thompson, from Netley Road, Meole Brace, Shrewsbury, said he was enjoying a drink outside the nearby Shrewsbury Hotel at 5pm on Sunday when he saw three teenagers trying to climb Quantum Leap, which was built to mark thebicentenary of Charles Darwin

He managed to capture their stunt on his camera but said he feared for their safety adding it was only a matter of time before someone was seriously hurt by copying them.

Shropshire Council today urged people not to climb the structure, which was officially opened last October in the Mardol Quay Gardens, and said it was monitored by CCTV.

Mr Thompson said: "The temptation is there and children are daredevils so they are bound to try and climb it.

"The youngsters were just sitting around at the bottom of the sculpture to start with and then they started to climb it.

"They got about 20ft above the ground and were about half way up the sculpture.

"If they had fallen off they would have been seriously hurt, they could have been paralysed or even killed."

The £450,000 piece of art is made from locally quarried stone as geology was Darwin's key interest during his early life in Shrewsbury. Its design represents his ideas and his impact on the scientific world and cost taxpayers about £300,000.

It was officially opened by Darwin's great, great grandson Randal Keynes and it sits within a "geo-garden" near the River Severn.

George Candler, assistant director for culture and leisure at Shropshire Council, said: "Shropshire Council would strongly urge that no member of the public attempts to climb the Quantum Leap structure.

"There is signage around the area requesting that people refrain from doing this, monitoring is also regularly undertaken via the CCTV network and with the town centre warden. As a result of this we will continue to monitor the situation."