Pear warning

A council has cordoned off pear trees in a public park over fears falling fruit could land on someone's head.

Two black pear trees in Cripplegate Park in Worcester have been sealed off with a safety barrier and tape and a sign warns people of falling fruit.

A city council spokesman said the precaution was cheaper than the potential legal cost if someone was hit on the head with a pear and sued. The cordon will be removed when all the fruit has fallen to the ground.

Worcester is famed for its black pears and the fruit is part of the city coat of arms.
Alan Stuttard, from the city council, said: "We had a complaint from a member of the public that one of these Worcester super pears fell on them and they felt it was dangerous."

He said the pears could weigh up to 1lb (454g) and were much harder many other types of pears.

"What we are interested in is to make sure young kids don't get frightened or hurt," he added.

The trees in question were planted by Edward VIII when he was Prince of Wales.