Horrified onlookers were "astounded" after a group of 10 people slid across a frozen lake days after four children died after falling through ice. When one passer-by shouted at them to get off they simply ignored her and carried on with their 15 minutes of fun on the ice.
They only came off the frozen lake after wardens gave them a telling off. But that was only after they shouted abuse at the pair, telling them: "we're old enough to make our own decisions", reports the Liverpool Echo.
Onlooker Nick Robinson, 49, captured the footage at Sefton Park, in Liverpool on Wednesday. He told how he had met with friends at a cafe for a drink only to see the group - some of whom were adults - on the lake.
And he said he was "astounded" that the group was behaving in such a way, putting their lives at risk.
In the video the group can be seen enjoying themselves on the ice. At one point two women could be seen dancing while another man played football.
Nick said: "All I could think is there's no way these people have not seen the story about those little boys in Solihull and I was astounded. One woman went on the ice, and then like lemons, the rest of them followed until there were ten of them on the ice.
"A woman who was jogging past shouted at them to get off the ice, but they didn't listen. They were on the ice for between 15 and 20 minutes and then two wardens came and shouted at them to get off the ice.
"They all started shouting abuse and one of the women, who was in her late 20s to early 30s screamed 'who do you think you're talking to, we're old enough to make our own decisions'. The wardens gave them a telling off and then they eventually came off the ice but the abuse continued. At one point they were getting really close to the darker section of the ice, where it's thinner."
On Sunday four boys fell into a lake in Solihull. Brothers Finlay and Samuel Butler, aged eight and six, and their cousin Thomas Stewart, 11, died along with Jack Johnson, aged 10.
The incident has hit many people hard and at one point a newsreader broke down as she reported the tragedy. Nick said: "When I saw the reporter break down on the TV, that was such a hard hitting moment.
"Those little boys have presents under the tree that will never be opened now. I don't think they [the people on the ice] understand it's not just their lives it would affect if anything happened, it would also be their families."
Earlier in the day another photographer captured a man walking over the middle lake in Sefton Park on his own. Liverpool City Council have slammed the group on the lake calling them "thick" for "putting their lives at risk".
A spokesperson said: “The ice may look thick on this lake, but these adults are even thicker to think it's ok walk on it. Given what we all saw tragically unfold at Solihull at the weekend it’s with great sadness to see people put their lives at risk in this way.
"The fact they were asked to get off it and were dismissive and abusive makes the matter even worse. Signs have been erected warning of the dangers at all our parks and lakes and we would implore anyone not to go anywhere near an iced over body of water.
"Better to admire the beauty and wonder of these frosty landscapes, rather than be a victim of their deadly trap.”
