FIREWORKS mayhem reached a frightening new level in York at the weekend when vandals blew apart three telephone boxes in massive late-night explosions.

A man suffered leg injuries when a phone box in Tang Hall Lane was ripped to pieces in the early hours of yesterday by a blast that sent debris flying 40 feet away.

Two other booths, in Hull Road and Bell Farm Avenue, were reduced to twisted metal by similar explosions that were heard streets away.

Police have launched an investigation into the devastating series of explosions, which eyewitnesses said could have left somebody seriously injured or even dead.

Mick Brighton, of North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue, said those involved were "playing with bombs" and called on the police to take the incidents seriously.

York MP Hugh Bayley has condemned the "idiotic attacks" that put life and limb at risk and severed a vital lifeline for someone wanting to make an emergency phone call.

The destruction comes as new government powers are brought in under the Fireworks Act to cut down on the problem of noise and the anti-social use of fireworks - but they do apply this year.

The incidents began in the early hours of yesterday. Wayne Collins, 38, was thrown to the ground as he walked in Tang Hall Lane, opposite the parade of shops, when the telephone booth exploded.

He said: "I saw a young lad run out of the box, but kept on walking towards it when I heard a big bang and flash. The next thing I knew I had gone over and my leg was hurt."

Shopkeeper Derrick Adamson, 56, said debris - including part of the phone box's metal door - were blown over 40 feet away by the 1.30am blast. He said: "If somebody had been there and hit by some of that debris in the head then it would have killed him."

Minutes later, Bell Farm Avenue residents hid in their homes as a glass and metal booth was destroyed by a similar explosion. Edith Hobson, 91, said: "These people do not know the hurt they are causing. I wonder if they have a conscience."

Former ambulance driver Brian Macey, of Millfield Avenue, said a booth in Hull Road looked like it had been hit by a "20-tonne truck" after fireworks blew it to pieces last night. "It's so sad, if there had been an emergency there would be no phone. It's absolutely criminal," he said.

The shocking vandalism follows a string of incidents, as reported in the Evening Press, where wheelie bins have been targeted by youths with fireworks.

Mr Bayley said: "Large display fireworks should not be sold to the general public. They are extremely dangerous when used irresponsibly."

Police also received reports of dozens of loud bangs in Eighth Avenue, First Avenue, the Haxby Road area and Woodthorpe.

Updated: 10:30 Monday, October 13, 2003