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Night hawkers strike Whitby abbey

Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 9:07 pm
by SODBUSTER

Re: Night hawkers strike Whitby abbey

Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 10:20 pm
by rustie
english heritage trying to discredit detectorists again

Re: Night hawkers strike Whitby abbey

Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 11:22 pm
by omegamike
Am I missing something here? Quote "Since March, 14 HOLES have been dug across the Grade I-listed site while the property is closed at night" Now I'm no mathematician but 14 holes in the space of perhaps 10 weeks leads me to believe they are either the worlds worst nighthawkers or its something else? They appear all to eager to jump on the 'its metal detectorists' band wagon while the evidence says otherwise! 14 holes - what a load of cobblers :g64:

Re: Night hawkers strike Whitby abbey

Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 8:18 am
by Hawkstone
omegamike wrote:Am I missing something here? Quote "Since March, 14 HOLES have been dug across the Grade I-listed site while the property is closed at night" Now I'm no mathematician but 14 holes in the space of perhaps 10 weeks leads me to believe they are either the worlds worst nighthawkers or its something else? 14 holes - what a load of cobblers :g64:


Mebbi there's more, but made a proper job of back-filling..........?

Re: Night hawkers strike Whitby abbey

Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 8:22 am
by jcmaloney
Unbelievable. It could be anyone with a spade! Where is the evidence the hole diggers used a detector???

Re: Night hawkers strike Whitby abbey

Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 9:05 am
by Deetektor
rustie wrote:english heritage trying to discredit detectorists again
There are unfortunately those amongst us, who manage to discredit our hobby without the help of EH. :g48:

Re: Night hawkers strike Whitby abbey

Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 10:41 am
by PhilD

Re: Night hawkers strike Whitby abbey

Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 11:50 am
by onestepbehind
i told the kids not to play golf on there ........... :hahaha: :hahaha: :hahaha:

Re: Night hawkers strike Whitby abbey

Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 1:04 pm
by IronRon
I was once detecting around a local res that belonged to the water company that I worked for ..with permission I might add...their were mole hills everywhere.
A couple walking past commented ,look at the mess that man is leaving.
Some people open their mouths without thinking.. :g48:

Re: Night hawkers strike Whitby abbey

Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 4:09 pm
by Donnydave
Though I do not condone nighthawking at all, this sounds like someone making a mountain from a molehill :g43:
(Quote) Staff have been trying to fill them in before anyone is injured.

I wonder just how big these 14 holes are :g43:

Re: Night hawkers strike Whitby abbey

Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 4:31 pm
by gordon21
Try foxes or rabbits. More evidence needed.

Re: Night hawkers strike Whitby abbey

Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 7:30 pm
by weldbuzz
Just watched the report on our local TV News, there was a large lump of iron left beside one of the holes, looks probably like night hawkers to me.

Re: Night hawkers strike Whitby abbey

Posted: Sat May 18, 2013 2:23 am
by omegamike
....Now was that 'large lump of iron' put here for the benefit of the photograph? I've said it before and I'll say it again.... proximity alarms are the answer, cheap as chips and they send a message to your mobile when triggered. Half a dozen of these placed in strategic places will solve the problem. Sign posts to warm trespassers of them (for legal reasons) will be enough to discourage nighthawkers. They work fine on some of my farms for illegal shooting and monitoring yards when empty, and they can be battery operated. No excuse for not having them. If they are serious about catching these nighthawkers then that's the only way they will do it.

Re: Night hawkers strike Whitby abbey

Posted: Sat May 18, 2013 11:24 am
by fiddiwebb
Lump of iron found doesnt prove its nighthawkers, nighthawkers aint going to go round digging up iron, if they do either their detector is a maplins special or they are lousy at detecting, they won't want to waste time digging iron, only spot on signals also any nighthawker would know the area would not be worth searching, to much modern rubbish and to much in the public view, the last thing a nighthawker wants is to draw attention to their illegal nightime pursuits.

All smells to me as pointed out 14 holes in 10 weeks even if other holes had been backfilled there still would be evidence of the cut and remains of the spoil showing and I'm pretty sure the area would have been looked at carefully for other evidence.

Looking at the pic in the bbc link the holes grouped together look like small divots certainly not deep and as onestepbehind says looks like someone who has a lousy golf swing.

Re: Night hawkers strike Whitby abbey

Posted: Sat May 18, 2013 11:59 am
by fiddiwebb
Sorry this does annoy me that it is being branded nighthawkers without any positive evidence or proof, I am not discounting it but all I have heard and seen so far doesn't pove it is nighthawkers.

I wonder what the reaction from EH would be if someone from NCMD contacted them and asked if they could visit Whitby Abbey and view the evidence and to give their professional opinion on the situation, if the evidence in their view points to a case of nighthawking what could be implemented to stop the illegal activity or to catch the culprits if it happens again.