Downs and dirty: Couple caught enjoying a little more than the scenery on the Downs

A class of first years saw more than just wildlife this week after stumbling across a couple having sex in a car during a field trip to the Downs. Taking place in broad daylight, the incident has led to warnings that some people use the area “to do things that you might not ordinarily do.” 

The university students were taken out on the Downs by Anna Stevens, Biodiversity Engagement and Learning Manager for the Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Team. Regularly taking groups out in the area, she recounted her experience to the Downs committee. 

“When I was out with a group of first-year university students, we had an incident where we were walking on the Circular Road, right next to the vehicles that are parked on the side. Right in between two of the big vans, we had a small car. 

“As we walked past, we realised that there were two people having sex in the car. And I obviously have 17 students with me, by the time we realise that it’s too late. They weren’t young; I could have been with 10-year-olds, but I wasn’t, thank goodness. 

“It’s just something that people need to be aware of, if they don’t go up on the site a lot. When you have people living in a place where they feel that’s a place where it’s their home, it gives the idea that you can do things that you might not ordinarily do. They were in a public place, in broad daylight, right next to a pavement.” 

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The location of the incident hasn’t been released; however, it comes at a time when Bristol City Council has issued warnings about safety in the area. Evidence of sites being used as organised toilet facilities and containing human waste has been highlighted, suggesting the area poses more than just an aesthetic risk.  

The Downs has been an area of contention for some time, due to the number of caravans and settlements that have appeared in the past couple of years. Residents have held protests against the area’s alleged misuse, with the issue gaining national attention. Luckily, this case seems more like content for Overheard@UoB than the BBC.