CAPTURED on camera - youngsters using a potentially-lethal York rubbish dump as a playground.

The Evening Press spotted the two boys scaling the rubbish tip's wall and climbing into an unlocked skip filled with scrap metal before walking away after one of them had urinated.

The incident happened yesterday morning, before schools had even broken up for the summer holidays.

But this is a typical everyday sight for train driver Graham Hill, whose life is being made a misery by trespassers getting into the Beckfield Lane dump near his home.

"It's really important I get some sleep with my job, but I'm constantly getting woken up," he said. "I'm like a zombie."

Residents say problems at the dump include:

Trespassing day and night by young yobs who scatter rubbish and oil across the site

Skip fires started deliberately and gas canisters let off

Adults trespassing in the early hours to steal scrap

Noise generated from waste lorries

Mr Hill's neighbour, Julie James, has complained to York MP Hugh Bayley about the site.

"I had to call out the fire service four Sundays in a row after a load of yobs were letting off gas canisters," she said.

"They get in so easily. I've even seen parents on the wall directing their kids which scrap to steal."

Mr Hill, 38, has now put his house overlooking the site on the market because of the problems.

"I'm never going to sell it," he said.

But City of York Council has vowed to tackle the problem.

Shaun Donnelly, waste management officer, City of York Council, said: "In response to requests from local people, the opening hours at Beckfield household waste site have been increased to include weekday opening between 5pm and 7pm.

"We are aware that there has been a problem with trespassers and we have employed a security firm to make ad-hoc visits to the site outside opening hours.

"The frequency of the visits will be increased to coincide with the start of the school holidays.

"We have submitted a planning application this week to enable us to install CCTV cameras and an anti-vandal scaling barrier to the perimeter walls. We hope that these measures will increase security."

Acting Inspector Nigel Tottie, of York police, said: "We're aware of the problems at the rubbish tip. We've had a meeting with the council and site managers about making the tip more secure. We want to find a long-term solution."

Updated: 10:06 Saturday, July 19, 2003