THE City of York Council has come under attack for the second time in less than a year for failing to remove a car dumped on a park used by walkers and children.

But the council has insisted it acted within guidelines on complaints about dumped cars.

Gordon Campbell-Thomas, park ranger at St Nicholas Fields, where the car was dumped, told the Evening Press he warned the council if it was not removed it would be set on fire.

The council it was unable to remove it that day and Mr Campbell-Thomas later watched the car get vandalised, driven off and set on fire.

In August 2002, children who looked as young as six were captured on film playing on a car dumped in the same area.

The CCTV footage showed the abandoned car as it exploded into flames and fire crews tackling the blaze as youngsters watched.

At the time the City of York Council said it was legally unable to move it and hours later it went up in flames.

Mr Campbell-Thomas said: "I am not saying every abandoned car should be moved immediately but where there is previous history it should be a fast response."

Mr Campbell-Thomas discovered the car on the site at about 11am on Tuesday and immediately phoned the council and was told it would be removed later that day.

By 4.15pm a group of youths and smashed all the car's windows and driven it to nearby St James Street and set it alight.

When Mr Campbell-Thomas phoned the council again he was told it would be the following day before it was removed. He said his main worry had been anyone on the field, which is used by walkers and children, being hurt if the car had been set alight there.

He said: "When there is a threat to the public safety I believe the council should respond a lot sooner. The friends of St Nicholas' Field have to take responsibility for the safety of the people who go on the park.

"We are concerned about the safety of people and want to maximise that safety but it does not help us if the council are slow in responding."

A spokesman for City of York Council said: "It is nonsense and totally unfair of Mr Campbell Thomas to say we have done nothing.

"We have to operate within clear guidelines on these matters and this was reported to us less than 48 hours ago and our contractors were on the scene to remove it yesterday - within 24 hours - only to discover it had been moved.

"It was then later reported to have been dumped again elsewhere on the site and we immediately contacted our contractors. If it hasn't been moved already, it will be very shortly."

Updated: 10:17 Thursday, March 13, 2003