Gallery: Skaters brace the cold for fen skating competition

WHILE the freezing temperatures left most people stranded at home over the weekend, dozens of hardy ice-skaters opted to brave the conditions and head over to Bury Fen in Earith for the year's first round of competitive fen skating.

Fen-skating is a traditional sport dating back decades in the region and skaters enjoyed a bumper fixture list last weekend as sub-zero temperatures ensured that the flooded fenland at Earith remain frozen hard.

So far this year, skaters have enjoyed several days of skating thanks to one of the coldest winter's for decades and, at Bury Fen on Saturday (Jan 9), dozens turned out to pit their wits against the best skaters in the region.

In the Muriel Parsons One Mile open race, Michael McInerney romped to victory in a speedy time of 3mins 3secs, some two seconds quicker than his nearest rival Malcolm Robinson.

Meanwhile in theGary Warrington Trophy, which takes place over a quarter-of-a-mile, David Smith sailed to victory in a time of 42 seconds flat, a comfortable three seconds ahead of Adam Giles.

A spokeswomen for the Fenland Skating Club, said: "The races at Earith went really very well. The weather just held for us and it was nice to see a lot of people turned out to watch and take part.

"The races this year were very close and competitive and hopefully, if the weather remains cold, we will be able to hold a bigger championships this coming weekend."

Amid the fun however, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue have warned people not to venture out on to frozen ponds where the ice may not be suitable for skating. Local Station Manager Sean Brown, said:

"We would urge parents to explain to their children about the dangers of playing on ice and that if they spot someone in the water, not to go in after them, but to contact the emergency services instead.