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Cyclists, runners and walkers are being targeted by “deadly” nail traps on a Welsh footpath that are warning them to stay away and calling them w******, it has been claimed.

The contraptions - made up of a flat plank of wood and a number of rusty four to six inch nails sticking out of them - were found on a path in the Upper Forest area on the outskirts of Lampeter in Ceredigion.

One of them had a message on it warning people to stay off the footpath, and even included the term “F*** off w*****”.

The man who found them has warned that the traps could seriously injure or even kill someone if they were to fall onto the metal spikes, which he said look like they have been sharpened.

(Image: Roderick Bale)

“I was walking along the path on Tuesday when I saw one of these traps,” said Dr Roderick Bale, who works and lives in Lampeter.

“The person who left it there had clearly made an attempt to hide it from plain view, obviously hoping that someone would not be able to see it until it was too late.

“On the underside was a message, so someone’s obviously taken a bit of time over this.

“I would imagine it is someone who has something against cyclists.”

Dr Bale took the trap to the police station the following morning and they kept the item as evidence.

Unperturbed by the discovery, Dr Bale returned to the same woodland yesterday and, to his horror, found another trap.

This time, it was partly obscured by moss and hidden behind a large tree root.

This one, which has also been handed to police, had another message: “Ha ha! Got you again w*****”.

(Image: Roderick Bale) (Image: Roderick Bale)

Alarmingly, this is not the first time that this has happened in this normally peaceful Ceredigion woodland.

In 2016, similar traps were left on a footpath in the area.

On that occasion, five of the homemade devices were found by a local runner.

Then, in 2017, Dr Bale himself discovered nails and broken glass along the path, in what again appeared to be an attempt to deter people from using the area.

(Image: Roderick Bale)

“It’s very depressing,” added Dr Bale.

“The worst thing is, I was kind of expecting this to happen because a sign that was put up by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) a couple of years ago was recently removed by someone, so that made me think that this kind of thing was going to happen again.

“The traps could be deadly.

“If it’s a cyclist riding over one of the nails then it would just be a case of getting a puncture, but what if a child steps on that while wearing wellies?

“Even worse, what if someone were to fall off their bike or trip while walking or running and land on a spike?"

NRW has asked anyone who sees any more nail traps to contact police immediately.

Huwel Manley, operations manager for the organisation, said: “People can use our forests to walk, run or ride. It’s a great way to enjoy our environment and get healthy in the outdoors, but people need to be safe while doing so.

“Sabotaging woodlands is incredibly dangerous and puts people and animals at risk. We’ve cleared hazardous items left on the trails in our forest near Lampeter.

“If anyone sees evidence of dangerous activity or items in our forests, please report it to the Police on 101 and to us on 03000 65 3000.”

Dyfed-Powys Police has confirmed that they are looking into the incidents and say that the traps could have led to people or animals being "seriously injured".

A spokesperson for the force said: “A member of the public has reported finding an item on the footpath in Lodge Wood, Forest Road, Lampeter which could cause serious harm.

"A handwritten message was written on the bottom and made it very clear in the offensive language used that they do not want persons using an area of the woodland, which has no restrictions so is free for use by walkers or cyclists.

"We would urge anyone using the footpaths in this area to be vigilant, and to report any suspicious activity to the police.”