News: Hunters Lodge Inn Sink, Somerset, Closed Due To Deliberate Vandalism

A report has just been received by Darkness Below of deliberate vandalism to Hunters Lodge Inn Sink on Mendip.

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Photo courtesy of Duncan Simey

We are sad to report that Hunters Lodge Inn Sink will be closed for at least a month while we attempt to repair, clean up and re-tape after what appears to be some deliberate vandalism to the cave at some point recently.

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Photo courtesy of Estelle Sandford

The damage was reported on the 12th March by an experienced group visiting the cave and we visited on Wednesday to assess and make a photographic record of the damage. None of us on that trip had ever seen so many broken formations in one place.

The vandalism is concentrated in one area of Happy Hour Highway and as you can see from the attached images, it is pretty catastrophic and we know it has occurred very recently – we are verifying any known trips within the preceding month to see if people had noticed any damage to try and pinpoint dates.

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Photo courtesy of Duncan Simey

We have absolutely no idea who did this and if anyone hears or knows anything, can they please contact Roger Dors at the Hunters or let me or one of the regular diggers/cavers in the Hunters know.

It’s a sad state of affairs when someone vandalises the ‘cavers pub’s cave’.

We will advise when the cave is reopened and any revised changes in access procedure.

 

Correspondent: Estelle Sandford