COUNCIL chiefs were accused today of putting the safety of walkers and cyclists at risk, by failing to repair a broken barbed wire fence alongside a York footpath.

Campaigner Mark Warters said he alerted City of York Council in January to the dangers posed by the fence, situated on the site of the proposed Derwenthorpe model village at Osbaldwick.

In his letter to the authority's chief executive, David Atkinson, he said the perimeter fencing had collapsed because all the posts had rotted, and the barbed wire was laid down in the undergrowth.

"If stood on by a person or animal, or ridden on by a cyclist, it may well have safety implications for the council," he said.

"I would very much appreciate it if this barbed wire is removed with some urgency and the fencing either removed or replaced."

He said today that, three months later, the wire had still not been repaired or removed.

He warned that if a vandal pulled the loose wire across the path, it could be lethal for cyclists making their way along the cyclepath in twilight or after dark.

He claimed that as the owner of the land, the council was entitled to have a barbed wire fence, but had a statutory duty to ensure it was maintained.

He suggested the failure to repair the fence was part of a wider land management problem on the site, where the Joseph Rowntree Foundation will build a 540-home community if the Government gives consent.

A public inquiry was held into the proposal last year, at which Mr Warters was an active campaigner against the scheme.

Local residents claimed that the land should be left as green fields, for people to use for walks and other recreational activities.

The results of the inquiry are expected next month.

Villagers have also applied to the authorities for the site to be registered as a village green, which they claim would prevent development, whatever the inquiry result.

No one from the council was available to comment on the claims about the barbed wire.