PARKS staff have become the modern-day equivalent of rag-and-bone men - turning rubbish into hard cash.

But the "old iron" they are converting is illegally-dumped material that is helping them to buy gardening tools.

The parks team in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, regularly has to fish out old bicycles, swings and oil drums that have been fly-tipped in local ponds and open spaces. But now the rubbish is being sent to a scrap metal dealer for recycling and to raise cash.

Principal parks officer Alan Taylor said: "While the council works to reduce incidences of fly-tipping, we can still cash in and we are already building up our next pile of rubbish.

"The first pile raised more than £500, which was enough for us to buy an extendable chainsaw and hedge trimmer."