RESIDENTS and councillors have called for the site of a former petrol station, which has fallen into disrepair and become a target for vandalism, to be urgently tidied up.

Potts garage, in Black Horse Lane, Swainby, closed several years ago.

Since then, two applications to build houses on the site have been rejected by Hambleton District Council. The site is now for sale.

Coun John Morley, the district council's member for Swainby, and chairman of nearby Whorlton Parish Council, raised fears over safety at the neglected site, saying harmful petrol vapours might be given off.

He said: "It is in a real mess. The site was fenced off, but some of the fencing has blown down and people could gain access if they wanted to."

Coun Morley said the site contains holes in the ground, left behind when petrol storage tanks were removed.

He said: "They have filled with water, which must be about 18 inches deep. They are rather dangerous; a child could easily drown in that much water."

The parish council objected to plans for housing on the site, saying any developments would fall outside the village boundary.

Coun Morley said: "It is difficult to know what the future is for the site, but applications to build housing have been rejected on two occasions.

"The parish council would prefer to see the site used for some sort of commercial purpose."

Coun Morley said the North York Moors National Parks Authority could pass a tidying-up order for the site.

Betty Salton, who lives close to the former garage, called for something to be done. She said: "It is such an eyesore.

"I have lived here for the past 43 years and the garage has never looked as bad as it does now.

"It has been closed for at least three years, but enough is enough."

The site is being offered for sale by agents Thomas Stevenson, of Stokesley. No-one from the agents was available for comment.