Europe 'Wants Warning Signs on Mountains'

A bizarre new law from Europe could see warning signs being placed on mountains to let climbers know they are high up. The EU regulation is aimed at preventing people falling on building sites, but Scotland's professional mountain leaders believe they will also have to conform.

Due to be implemented in July, the working at height regulations will require building sites to display a number of safety warnings and to introduce back-up systems. Tory MEP Jonathan Evans, leading a campaign in the European Parliament against the regulations, believes teams could have to display signs warning that mountains are high.

"This is madness - most people know that when they climb a mountain, they will be up high," he said.

Roger Wild, safety officer for the Mountaineering Council of Scotland, said: "What we would really like is an exemption which would apply to adventurous activities."

The Health and Safety Executive has said it will carry out a consultation exercise with the mountaineering community to assess the situation.

A spokeswoman for the HSE said: "The issues about displaying signs refer to an industrial setting and not to the natural environment, and the HSE will address the mountaineering community's concerns."

This is hardly the first time a seemingly absurd rule or regulation has hit the headlines, so the AOL News team has rounded up a selection of the best stories - both true and false...

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