A SORDID website is promoting parts of the region as places for extroverted couples to join in perverted "dogging" activities.

The website, swingingheaven.co.uk, publicises sites across the county - including two in York - where strangers meet up for sex while others watch.

Residents of the quiet rural villages were shocked to hear seedy sex games were taking place in beauty spots much loved by families and dog walkers.

The website promotes a secluded parking spot on a road between Skelton and Overton on the A19 reporting "action in cars" and "good couples dogging action".

It also promotes Malbis Airfield in Acaster Malbis where it says voyeuristic visitors will find "action in cars in the parking spot and round the back of it behind an earth bank".

The activities are promoted as starting at 7.30pm in the evening - when families may still be out walking in the area.

Parish councillors in Skelton and the neighbouring village of Shipton were shocked and pledged to raise matters with other villagers and the police.

Coun Susan Robinson, of Skelton Parish Council, said: "There have been problems in our area before.

"Children play in that area and it would frightening coming across these people.

"We made a complaint to the police and they told us they were well aware of what goes on - but there is not really anything they can do. But we will certainly look into it."

Coun Clifford Smith, chairman of neighbouring Shipton Parish Council, said: "It is shocking to think that people on a nice day out will come across people joining in these sordid practices. It is quite frightening really."

But residents in Acaster Malbis have already taken measures to prevent the sex games and put a locked gate across the airfield to prevent access.

Coun Roger Raimes, of Acaster Malbis Parish Council, said: "We put a locked gate across the site last summer to prevent access and I believe it has worked.

"These people need to get to the site in cars and so they are not going to be clambering over fences.

"It is shocking that the area is still being publicised - but there is all kinds of stuff on the internet and there is not much we can do about that."

Dogging activities are not unknown in the county and last year the Evening Press reported how residents in Brayton Barff, near Selby, were shocked to find sex antics in their village.

Visitors were meeting at an 80-acre woodland site owned by Yorkshire Water, which had spent thousands of pounds maintaining the reservoir land.

Wardens were brought in to patrol the site periodically in a bid to deter visitors.

An area known as Bishop Wood, between Cawood and Wistow, was also known for dogging games.

A car park leading to the beauty spot was later fenced off and padlocked to stop cars pulling on to the site.

Updated: 12:37 Saturday, August 13, 2005