MAGDALEN Bridge will be cordoned off to stop students jumping off and injuring themselves on May Day.

The 25ft high bridge will be shut between 3am and 9am on May Morning and guarded either end by a cordon of 40 police and 30 security guards to prevent a repeat of last year, when 40 students were hurt some seriously jumping into the shallow River Cherwell below.

Authorities, including the police, emergency planning teams, paramedics and fire officers decided to close the bridge following fears that after years of relatively minor injuries, someone could jump to their death.

And police have vowed to use "whatever means necessary or appropriate" to prevent anyone breaking the security cordon in an effort to jump, even though the tradition is not a criminal offence. Police maintained they were not kill-joys, but only wanted to prevent serious injury.

Oxford police Chief Insp Steph Cook said: "We will stop them. I would like to think we would police it quite reasonably, but at the end of the day we will use whatever means is necessary or appropriate reasonable force if necessary.

"I am not saying it's impossible (to break through the cordon), but obviously the police are there to make sure it doesn't happen.

"Hopefully we will not get to the stage where we have to chase them because we would have stopped them."

An ambulance crew and ten first aiders will be on duty near Magdalen Bridge and police officers will be on standby in case of serious public order problems. Last May Morning, some 12,500 turned up to hear Magdalen College Choir performing the Hymnus Eucharisticus from the top of the college's tower. The bridge was closed on May Morning between 1998 and 2001, but last year a Sunday 8,500 people stood on the bridge and 12 jumpers were taken to hospital, some with broken legs, ankles and ribs.

The River Cherwell is only one foot deep in places and riddled with debris like broken glass, sharp rocks and supermarket trolleys.

Paramedics also fear there is a chance jumpers with open wounds could catch the potentially deadly Weil's Disease an infection carried in rats' urine.

Adrian Fellows, emergency planning manager of Oxfordshire Ambulance Trust, said: "Last year people were jumping on to injured people who were screaming 'don't jump'. From the bridge you could hear the snap of bones."