FORMER company directors Neil and Andrew Medley illegally used teenage boys to remove potentially fatal asbestos from a Yeadon building, Leeds Crown Court heard this week.

The Medleys, former directors of the Guiseley based Medleys Ltd, pleaded guilty to allowing their firm to employ two 15-year-olds and one 14-year-old to remove the asbestos from a building on the AE Turbine components site in Yeadon in 1996.

Employing the youngsters contravened Section One of the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act 1920, which states: "No children shall be employed in any industrial undertaking."

The two also admitted letting the firm work with asbestos without a licence at the site.

Neil Medley, 37, of Carr Lane, Rawdon, admitted failing to keep proper records during another asbestos removal job in Malton in 1994 and two other breaches of asbestos regulations at Yeadon while he was a company director.

Leeds Crown Court heard on Monday that the company run by Andrew Medley, 36, of Park Road, Guiseley, a former Great Britain junior international 400 metre runner, and his brother - both of previous good character - had gone into liquidation in 1996.

The guilty pleas were accepted by prosecuting counsel Simon Myerson, who described Neil Medley as the 'dominant partner' in the business.

Nine charges against the company, six others against Neil Medley and nine others against Andrew Medley were ordered to lie on file.

Before adjourning the hearing until tomorrow for pre-sentence reports, Judge John Cockroft said : "A non custodial sentence would appear to be an appropriate option because the more serious offences which have been admitted don't carry custodial sentences."

The case was brought by the Health and Safety Executive.

After the hearing, HSE chief inspector David Dean said: "The HSE is extremely pleased that these matters have progressed successfully today."

Members of the building workers union UCATT paraded outside the court calling for a ban on the use of asbestos and tougher punishments for companies which breached the regulations.

Full time official Stewart Emms said: "There is already a ban on blue and brown asbestos and we are trying to get it extended to cover white asbestos because a lot of people finding out now that they have asbestosis were only using white asbestos."

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