RESIDENTS in the Malton area are being reassured that work being carried out on an old quarry in the area will not disrupt their routine.

Fitzwilliam Estates has reopened the old Brow Quarry and is carrying out work to extract stone for repair work to its housing in the Malton area.

The company wants the stone used to be in keeping with the current buildings and has reopened the old quarry to ensure this happens.

The Press has received several letters from Malton residents expressing concerns at the move, but Fitzwilliam says no blasting would be used to extract the stone and the work would be very much low key.

A spokesman for the firm said: "The reason for wanting to open up the old quarry is to use like-for-like stone. It is essentially a low-key operation."

The news comes as parents in North Yorkshire were being warned about the dangers of letting their children trespass into quarries, amid fears that warm weather could encourage youngsters to encroach on the sites.

The plea to parents comes from the Quarry Products Association (QPA), after a nationwide survey of quarry managers indicated that 63 per cent of the association's members' quarries in Yorkshire & The Humber had experienced trespass problems in the last two years.

North Yorkshire has 45 quarries helping to produce 10.3 million tonnes of aggregates a year.

QPA, which represents the UK aggregates and quarry products industry, has launched the Play Safe... Stay Safe campaign, which raises awareness of the hazards of trespassing in quarries, which include deep and cold water, and sand piles where children could dig tunnels that were liable to collapse.

The survey found that, while the over-25s were the most frequent trespassers, teenage trespass was a bigger concern.

Lynda Thompson, chairwoman of QPA, said: "The numbers show the extent of the problem and, while our members try to engage with the community by visiting schools and youth groups, the support of parents in relaying the Play Safe... Stay Safe message is vital.

"It came as somewhat of a surprise that the over-25s were the most frequent trespassers. We would urge those adults to change their behaviour because children following this example could be exposed to unseen dangers."