PEOPLE who ignore warning flags at a firing range have been warned they are putting their lives at risk.

Red flags are flown at Middlewick Ranges in Colchester when army personnel are practicing their firing.

Whenever this happens – or red lamps are on display at night - civilians must stay away for their own safety.

But Defence Infrastructure Organisation training officer Maj (retired) Udai Gurung said a dozen people were caught encroaching into the area on Thursday.

He warned them they could be killed by the shots being fired.

“If the flag is up they should not go in,” he said.

“If they go against these rules then they may be killed.

“The rules are there for a reason and nobody should be going into the area at that time.

“There have been 12 in one day and we have to stop everytime somebody goes in and each time we have to stop the soldiers lose their timings.

“People are saying they have been doing this for 20 years.

“It is amazing people are willing to take the risk and do it this way.

“For some reason over the last few days it has been getting worse.”

Maj Gurung has been in contact with Mike Lilley (Lab) over the issue because a number of people caught have been from Rowhedge – the area he represents on Colchester Council.

He said: “My message would be to just stay off the land when they are shooting.

“Anything could happen.

“They use blanks most of the time but if you are hit then it could be fatal.

“Over the last few years we have had a lot more people move into Rowhedge because of the wharf development.

“It is possible they don’t know the rules and don’t realise what the flags are signalling.”

Details of when firing is due to take place at Middlewick Ranges is regularly published online.