May Day Special
A man hurls himself 25ft from Magdalen Bridge into the River Cherwell, which in some places was only 18 inches deep. Police have said that the May Morning tradition must be banned.
The traditional May Morning plunge from Magdalen Bridge into the River Cherwell, a preserve of Oxford University students for 500 years, could be consigned to the history books as police have warned of “immense public safety issues” surrounding the event.
Documents obtained by The Oxford Student under the Freedom of Information Act have revealed an extraordinary row between the agencies responsible for managing the May Day celebrations, centring on whether or not Magdalen Bridge should remain open to revellers.
The police insist the bridge must close, the council say they do not want to interfere, whilst the university has even suggested draining the river, presenting jumpers with a dry river-bed littered with broken bottles, bikes and shopping trolleys. Since the early 16th Century, students and townsfolk have gathered on Magdalen Bridge to hear the boys of Magdalen College Choir usher in the spring, from the top of the college’s Great Tower, with their dawn rendition of the Hymnus Eucharisticus.
Eight thousand people packed onto the bridge this year, a large proportion of whom were Oxford students. The bridge, lined with 6ft fencing, was patrolled by 30 stewards from a private firm, R&R Frontline Security, who were paid £6,000 to attend. Despite this, and the blanket coverage of signs warning of low water levels, which in some parts of the river dropped under 18 inches, over 100 young people leapt the 25ft from the bridge parapet.
Forty were hurt, with 12 requiring hospital treatment, one of whom the John Radcliffe hospital said was “very seriously injured”. The documents show that Thames Valley Police regard the bridge as, “ancillary, not fundamental” to the May Morning celebrations.
Inspector Justin Archer, who attended the meetings on behalf of the police, is recorded as saying that the “Chief Constable wants the bridge closed” and that police “would rather answer angry letters about closure than face a court proceeding after the incident”. Superintendent Jim Trotman, of Thames Valley Police, said: “We are already thinking about next May Day. This year’s event was pretty critical because of the number of injuries.
The celebrations have been going on for hundreds of years and predate current legislation, and as I understand it, the legal situation is that no one body is responsible. “We believe that the county council has the power to close the bridge to pedestrians. The only thing that we believe can be done is to close the bridge to the public. There are immense public safety issues for people jumping off the bridge, and we cannot allow it to continue.
Oxfordshire County Council, on the other hand, is not willing to close the bridge. The minutes record that “no politicians in the leading group” will support the bridge closure. A motion brought to the council in June to close the bridge for next year’s May Morning failed by 22 votes to 41. A county council spokesman said: “The various public safety authorities are still to come to a clear view on the desirability of closing the bridge at the next May Day.
The County Council has powers to close a bridge if it is assessed that there would be a dangerous crush or if too many people were on the bridge.” One council official, who did not wish to be named, said: “The county council doesn’t want to spoil the students’ fun; they should be able to work out what’s stupid and what isn’t. They’re just going to have to learn the hard way.
The University Marshal is recorded as suggesting the river water be “remove[d] through a pipe”, leaving a bare riverbed. There were also suggestions to raise river levels, making jumping safer. An Environment Agency spokeswoman said: “Clearly neither of these are acceptable approaches.”
See Also: May Day documents in full
17th Nov 2005