NINE people who were trespassing or swimming in the Gullet Quarry in the Malvern Hills, where two young men died two years ago, had their details taken by police on Sunday.

The nine were swimming in the lake, and had crossed fences to to reach in, both actions which are forbidden by the bye-laws of Malvern Hills Conservators.

If they are successfully prosecuted, they could face fines of up to £500 for breaching those bye-laws.

Sgt Ian Blanchard of Malvern police station said: "It's really up to the Crown Prosecution Service to decide whether to go ahead with the prosecution, but what we're really interested is getting the message over to stay out of the water."

The Gullet is a popular meeting spot on hot days, attracting revellers, predominantly young, from far beyond the Malvern area.

Russell O’Neill, aged 17, of Worcester died in the lake on Saturday, July 6, 2013, and just six days later 22-year-old Justas Juzenas of Ross-on-Wye drowned in the same quarry.

Since them, the Conservators have erected fences, warning signs and lifesaving devices, and planted shrubs to make access more difficult.

And this summer, a community safety partnership including the Conservators, Malvern Hills District Council and the fire and ambulance services has been active to discourage people from bathing in the lake.

Steve Bound, the director of the Conservators, said: "The police have included the quarry in their normal patrol routine this summer, the fire crews and ambulance crews go up there when they haven't got other jobs on, and our wardens visit regularly as well."

All of them warn about the dangers of entering the water, which remains very cold even on the warmest days, and can cause swimmers to get into trouble no matter how experienced they are.

Sgt Blanchard said: "Prosecution is an option that's open to us, but we're not interested in prosecuting people just to boost the statistics. We don't want to spoil people's day out, we just want to make sure people get the message across about the dangers."