MAY I offer a well-earned pat on the back to Kirsty Barras for her timely warning to other youngster about playing in quarries.

Her experience in becoming stuck waist-deep in a muddy pool at a quarry in Accrington (as featured in your June 4 issue) must have been a frightening one. To then think of others in issuing a public warning is a great credit to her.

You kindly mention the Play Safe ... Stay Safe campaign launched over recent weeks by the Quarry Products Association. Quick sands are just one potential danger of treating a working environment as an adventure playground -- others include deep and freezing cold lakes, high cliff faces and piles of sand that can collapse when you tunnel into them.

The quarry where Kirsty got into difficulties -- which is not operated by one of our members -- is one of around a dozen in Lancashire. While the majority have not had problems with children at play, our members never take the problem for granted.

We would like to reinforce Kirsty's appeal and ask parents and teachers in particular to do all they can to drive home the message that there are many safer places to play.

Quarries are great places in providing the materials we all need for projects like the new 660-bed hospital being built at Queens Park Hospital, Blackburn, -- but they are not for play.

ELIZABETH CLEMENTS, Quarry Products Association.