Children will be exposed to greater risk of harm if important safety measures for adventure activities in Scotland are watered down, a not-for-profit campaign group has warned.

Because the existing licensing regime in Great Britain is going to be abolished, the Scottish Government is considering whether to replace it either with new regulations, a voluntary accreditation scheme or a voluntary code of practice.

“In making this important decision, the Scottish Government needs to look back on the tragedy of Lyme Bay, in England, in 1993,” said David Bott, president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers.

“When we consider the deaths of those four teenage canoeists, it is difficult to see how anyone could consider it right to reduce these important safety measures.”

The impending abolition of the current licensing regime, which is run by the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority was recommended by the UK Government's Lord Young of Graffham, who, in his report Common Sense, Common Safety, referred to it as an unnecessary “cost and burden on business.”