THE owners of the land on which Goit Stock waterfall sits have said they “do what they can” to make the area safe.

The owners of the land said they cannot restrict public access to the site, and said sometimes it feels like “fighting a losing battle” in urging people to be safe at the waterfall.

It comes following the death of 14-year-old Mohammad Abu Farhan at the end of March, who drowned in the waterfall while visiting the site with friends.

Last week, his family called for action to be taken to raise more awareness of the dangers the waterfall poses and to restrict access, something Shipley MP Philip Davies supported.

The land containing Goit Stock is owned by Harden & Bingley Park Limited, run by Weston-Super-Mare based Julie Dunham and Paul Davis.

They said they have put up signs warning of the waterfalls dangers and also said it wouldn’t be possible to ban the public from visiting the site.

They said: “We have put signs up in the past warning people not to swim in the water, which have been vandalised and taken down.

“We have some signs up there now which say ‘no swimming’ and are out of reach to people, so we are doing what we can.

“The problem is there are public footpaths that criss-cross the land, so we can’t restrict public access past the waterfall; we can’t stop people going up there.

“We just ask people adhere to the signs that are up there and don’t swim in the beck or the waterfall.

“It’s a running waterfall and the plunge pool is quite deep. People also don’t realise how cold the water is, even in the middle of summer.

“It’s very cold and it is very dangerous.

“We try to keep children away from there but sometimes it’s like fighting a losing battle, especially during hot weather.

“The site is well-renowned as an attraction which is why we have the signs up telling people not to swim.

“It’s up on the rockface of the waterfall and is very clear but we just cannot restrict public access.

“We pass our deepest condolences onto the family, what happened was truly awful.”

Abu, from Barkerend, had been at Goit Stock, which is located in woodland near Cullingworth, with friends on March 30 when he entered the water and got into difficulty.

The emergency services were called but could not save him, and his body was recovered some time later.

Last week, his family asked if more could be done to restrict access to Goit Stock to avoid any further tragedies from occurring.

Shipley MP Philip Davies called for more warning signs to be put up at the site making it clear the danger that the body of water poses, and said people should be warned away from the site, not encouraged to visit.

The waterfall and woodland that surrounds it is a popular spot for walkers and tourists looking to explore the many paths and take in the beauty of Goit Stock.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic struck, with going for walks becoming the only escape from the monotony of being at home for many, Goit Stock’s popularity increased.

Bingley Rural Councillor Paul Sullivan has said the site has experienced a “boom” during Covid, with sometimes hundreds of people there at a time.