Cane Hill's urban explorers "risking lives"

"Urban explorers" could be risking their lives in their bid to capture crumbling Cane Hill on film before it is demolished.

Rotten floors, collapsed roofs and asbestos are just some of the hazards they might encounter, according to English Partnerships, the Government agency responsible for it.

Video sharing site YouTube has a host of posts featuring images of the interior of the Victorian building, which opened in 1883.

They have been created by people dubbing themselves urban explorers because they explore disused and decaying buildings.

Two have appeared on the site in the last month, and one this week – even though Squibb Demolition has already begun tearing it down.

Around 20 videos and slide shows of photographs with Cane Hill as their theme have been posted in the last year.

They show peeling corridors and wards claimed by plants and weeds, as well as discarded equipment such as trolleys and washing machines.

One video has David Bowie's song "All the Madmen" playing over it.

The track was written for and about Bowie's half-brother Terry Burns who was a patient at Cane Hill and is said to have committed suicide in front of a train at Coulsdon South station.

But English Partnerships has warned off any budding urban explorers for their own safety.

A spokesman said: "Although the outside of the hospital appears sound, the buildings at Cane Hill have been left for more than 17 years without power or heat.

"As a result they are in a severely dilapidated state with many of the roofs missing and floors rotten.

"Water ingress, vandalism and fire damage have increased the rate of decay.

"There are hazardous levels of asbestos present in the buildings, which when disturbed, is a threat to health.

"24-hour security patrols both the wider site and secures the fence-line to stop people entering the fenced off area which poses particular dangers."

English Partnerships wants to redevelop Cane Hill and build homes and offices.