QUARRY operators across County Durham have warned youngsters not to treat industrial sites as playgrounds during school holidays.

Managers say the bank holiday weekend often starts a summer-long concern over the safety of children who trespass at asphalt and ready-mixed concrete plants, railheads and wharves.

County Durham has a total of 50 industry locations, of which 26 are active quarries.

Quarry Products Association (QPA) members are giving their backing to the Play Safe ... Stay Safe campaign, designed to bring the message home to youngsters via school visits and by publicising the problems to parents and teachers.

QPA north region chairman John Myers, said: "It is a worrying problem, both in our own area and across the UK as a whole.

"If you work in a quarry and have the appropriate training and equipment, then it is a safe place to be. But if you go there uninvited, then you face some real dangers."

The problems that most concern quarry managers include swimming in deep and dangerously cold quarry lakes, climbing on and vandalising quarry machinery, climbing on rock faces, digging caves in sand stockpiles that can collapse and motorcycling or cycling.

The Play Safe ... Stay Safe campaign is being managed by Elizabeth Clements, communications director at the association.

She said: "We don't want to spoil any young person's fun, but we do want them to stay safe.

"Quite apart from the dangers to the youngsters themselves, we recognise that an accident can often place police, fire and ambulance staff at risk in performing a rescue."

The campaign has the support of the Government's Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Rob Pearce, HSE's principal inspector of quarries, said: "Many of the risks in a quarry are still there after the workers have gone home.

"Cliff edges, falling rocks, sand stockpiles, deep and cold water are just some of the hazards that are always present.

"During working hours, movements of large vehicles, heavy machinery and explosives add to the list of dangers that can await the unwary.

"The HSE fully supports and applauds the QPA's initiatives to educate children and young people not to put themselves and their friends at risk by playing in quarries.