BOREDOM is no excuse for carrying out wanton acts of vandalism.

That is the no-nonsense view of City of York Council's head of youth services Paul Herring in response to the weekend of destruction on the troubled Chapelfields estate.

More than 80 youths ran amok in the streets on Saturday, during a night of mayhem, in which a sports car was torched and rubbish scattered on the road to block the path of traffic.

Local teenagers blamed the disturbances on boredom, and what they see as a total lack of things for them to do in the area.

But Mr Herring condemned the vandalism and said there were activities available for young people on and near Chapelfields.

"Young people will gather together and might find that they are a bit bored from time to time," he said.

"But it's not a reasonable excuse for them to perform these acts of vandalism just because there is nothing to do."

Mr Herring said there was football training available at Westfield School on Monday nights and a detached youth worker deployed onto the estate two nights a week, to listen to their concerns and offer information.

He said there were also youth clubs held in nearby Foxwood and Moor Lane and a range of youth activities would be available when the new purpose-built Community House was built in the heart of the estate.

"They've (local youths) all had the opportunity to make comment about what they want from the facility and help develop it," said Mr Herring, who plans to hold an investigation into why the disturbances happened on Saturday night.

Westfield councillor Andrew Waller said it was expected the community house would be up and running by the New Year. He said: "For the vast majority of people on the estate, Chapelfields is a very nice place to live, but it's being tarnished by a small number of hooligans.

"The majority of young people in Chapelfields don't get involved in that sort of behaviour.

"They don't have to go that far to find constructive groups to join and be part of."

Updated: 09:47 Tuesday, October 19, 2004