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Urban exploring – often shortened to ‘urbex’ – is the practice of exploring man-made structures such as abandoned ruins or underground tunnels.
Often done as a hobby by enthusiasts, urban explorers will often take part in guided tours or organised visits to view places where people rarely venture.
The catacombs of Paris, Rome and Naples and the town of Pripyat – abandoned after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster – are examples of popular hot spots for urban explorers.
The practice has become increasingly popular among video bloggers who document their unusual findings to their followers.
Some videos posted on social media sites such as YouTube have been watched millions of times.
However the practice is controversial, because some urban explorers conduct their visits without permission.
In the UK this can be an act of trespassing – a civil offence under UK law – if those involved can freely access the ruins, properties or tunnels.
And it can considered an offence of burglary under UK criminal law – an imprisonable offence – if the person damages the property in order to enter it.
Alongside legal issues, there are also safety issues, with many of the buildings targeted by urban explorers being old, abandoned and dilapidated.
Six people have been recorded as dying while urban exploring, including at least two deaths due to drowning in storm drains and river tunnels in the US.
A 22-year-old student, Ethan Ross Bonnar, from Torquay Devon, died last year after falling from the roof of an abandoned milk factory.
Following his death, his mother Cheryl warned about the dangers of urban exploring, telling Wales Online: ‘I don’t want this to happen to anyone else. I don’t want another parent to get that call.
‘I always used to tell Ethan not to climb up on roofs or do anything silly – when we had scaffolding on our house I had to tell him not to climb up that, but he still did.’
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