A MAN paralysed after falling from York's bar walls today called for safety railings to be built all round the ancient monument.

Graham Knight, of Leeman Road, York, severed his spine after falling from the walls last October.

As reported in Monday's Evening Press, he is now dependent on carers and fears isolation in a care home as not enough staff are available to care for him in York.

Today, he said he wanted to see the walls fenced off to save anyone else from injury.

He said: "It is not just because I fell off. So many people go up there, including lots of kids, and some parts of the wall are quite narrow.

"Even just railing off the high parts would be a start, but the whole wall should really be covered. I am not saying railings with spikes or anything like that, even just something at knee level would do it, something to keep people up if they slipped or tripped."

City of York Council's principal health and safety officer Steve Adamthwaite revealed on Monday that a full risk assessment of the bar walls had been made.

"We have made some recommendations to English Heritage," he said.

But engineers responsible for maintaining the walls were saying nothing about any possible safety improvements.

Mike Tavener, the council's project manager for structures and drainage, confirmed the proposals were linked to safety improvements, but declined to say what they were.

Asked if they could see railings added to unfenced areas of the walls, Mr Tavener said: "That would be something we would have to discuss with English Heritage."

He said: "It could be a lengthy process. There are strict rules and requirements that English Heritage place on the city walls. It is not just us saying we want to do some work there."

Peter Brown, administrator of York Civic Trust, said he was unable to comment without seeing the recommendations made by the council to English Heritage.

But he said: "There are three reasons people come to York. To walk on the walls, to look at the Minster, and to enjoy the general historic environment of the city.

"Anything we do to that which has not been very carefully thought through we do at our peril."

Updated: 10:51 Wednesday, July 16, 2003