POLICE in North Yorkshire are urging tough action against companies which cause driving hazards by wrongly placing skips on the county's roads.

One traffic policeman in York has conducted a long-term survey of skips in the city, taking photographs where they do not conform to regulations.

A City of York Council document on skips, scaffolds and hoardings clearly states how skips should be marked with lights on the skip itself and a line of cones and lights marking the approach to the skip.

But Traffic Constable Steve Burrell says there is a major problem with most skips not conforming to the regulations.

He said he acknowledged that it is often difficult for skip companies to comply with the regulations due to theft of lights and cones but believes more action should be taken.

"There is a major problem with builders' skips being placed on the highways," he said.

"It is very difficult for the skip companies to fully comply with the regulations during the hours of darkness because the lights and cones they should put out are vulnerable to interference.

"This is creating a major road safety problem and has been a contributory factor in at least two accidents recently so the situation needs to be improved.

"North Yorkshire Police are working closely with City of York Council in an effort to encourage greater compliance from the skip companies who appear to be selecting parts of the legislation that they feel they can comply with and this is not good enough.

"We are working on an enforcement package if the skip companies do not improve and we are talking about 100 per cent compliance."

Letters have been sent to skip companies, but TC Burrell said there does not seem to have been any significant improvement.

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