Police warn about rising numbers of 'urban explorers' and the dangers they are putting themselves in
The force say they are now repeatedly being called to some abandoned buildings
We've learnt police in parts of Devon are now being called to some abandoned buildings up to three-times-a-week because of trespassers.
Officers say they believe it's because of people seeing so-called "urban explorers" online, who do it to earn money from views, and copying them.
A quick search on platforms including Facebook, YouTube and TikTok reveals exploring groups and countless videos just in Devon - with similar pictures in other areas.
Sergeant Neil Powers say they're now being called to some former department stores a couple of times a week and in fact one disused hotel in Torbay had 40 calls in a month - causing police to take action and demand the owners better secure it.
He said: "It's mainly teenagers but we are seeing an increase in older adults that are starting to go into abandoned buildings as well and the concern is around the risks that it poses to their safety.
"Derelict buildings go into disrepair, start crumbling, can have uneven floors and pigeons get in there and there's some really risks around pigeon faeces believe it or not - but we are seeing an increase.
"One such location was a hotel that we obtained a closure order on and we had a number of people going into there to cause damage and there was other criminal issues like drug taking and things like that.
"They were also going in to explore it, whilst roofs were caving in and there was leaking and so we obtained a closure order to prevent people going in there for three months and also to allow the owner to have some breathing space to try and put some remedial action in place as well."
One Devon-based urban explorer, who goes under the pseudonym 'Birdman', said: "It's the beauty of decay, it's the beauty of nature isn’t it just reclaiming some of these places. The lost history, the lost memories behind them.
"In a sense I've become the digital creator of England's lost heritage."
When asked if he felt his actions were encouraging others to follow suit, Birdman said: "I understand what you are trying to say is that I'm influencing a lot of these other people to go and do what I'm doing, right?
"In a sense you are correct because my videos, my pictures they get a lot of clicks but I can’t really say if I'm responsible though for these people doing that - as that would be wrong to say.
"People take their own actions into their own hands and I follow a guideline and a set of principles within the exploring community."
Birdman, who describes his income as 'modest' explained that if properties are 'sealed up' he doesn't enter and will - where possible - seek permission to enter.
The explorer explained that he waited six months to enter one site and only did so after what he thought were inspectors had left an entrance open.
Birdman says he gets frustrated with others who cause a trail of damage, adding: "Some of these kids they are getting into these places by force and they're vandalising these places to the point where some of these places are getting burnt down and it's not good really."
Police say it isn’t just large buildings being explored as there's a seeming growing craze of entering empty high street shop units - with often the doors left open and street-attached homeless then getting inside.
Both Facebook and YouTube have not responded to our requests for why they allow 'urban exploring' videos online. Tik Tok said it removed 99 per cent of content.