Police raise safety concerns over festive run

A festive run in Guernsey will be changing its usual route in future due to safety concerns.

Linda Garnham from the Santa's Christmas Fun Run, said Guernsey Police raised concerns about the safety of the events, especially around the Crossways traffic lights between Braye Road and Route Militaire.

Ms Garnham said it needed to be "stricter" this year and children under 12 years old need to be accompanied at all times.

The BBC has approached Guernsey Police for comment.

Ms Garnham said: "The junction at Crossways is a dangerous junction and we are not allowed to stop traffic with marshals.

"If the lights are on go, the traffic has every right to go... we're not allowed to stop them."

In the 22 years of organising the event, she said they have "never ever had a problem".

Ms Garnham also said the theme of the run had changed from just Santa costumes. She said it was a "festive run" and people could dress up as anything they wanted, such as a Christmas tree, candy cane or even a gingerbread man.

"The Santa costumes are getting harder to get and they are getting more and more expensive," she said.

"We felt that if we let people make their own costumes or buy costumes to their own ideas and do them up then we can have a judging session at the end and the sponsors will pick the winners for best dressed."

The adult run is due to take place on 14 December and starts from Pembroke at 11:30 GMT and the children run from Bulwer Avenue at 11:45. Ms Garnham added the event was also helping to raise money for Aid Reaching Children.

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