Redcar Beacon closed after youths climb over safety barriers

Images of the youths clambering over safety barriers have been passed to police

Access to a seafront attraction has been closed after youths climbed over safety barriers at the top of the 80ft (24m) structure.

Youngsters perched precariously on the outside of the Redcar Beacon, on Teesside, over the weekend.

Other recent incidents have seen items being thrown on to decking below and fires being lit in toilets.

Councillor Carl Quartermain has called for the attraction to be "locked up before someone is killed".

The Beacon opened in March 2013 after costing abut £1.6m to build

The structure has a viewing platform with 360-degree views of Redcar seafront.

A council spokesman said "safety must be the first priority" and confirmed the main access to the building had been closed "following reports of people taking part in highly-dangerous activity".

He added: "A number of options to prevent people climbing over the barriers will now be considered and the upper floor of the Beacon will remain closed until a solution is found."

'Life is in danger'

A cafe and bar on the ground floor will continue to operate as usual, as will a public toilet.

Mr Quartermain, who represents Labour for the Coatham ward on Redcar and Cleveland Council, said he had received "numerous complaints" about the youths and had organised a meeting on 14 July to discuss what action could be taken.

He also said the images taken had been passed on to police who had been called to the Beacon.

"This is a security issue where life is in danger. If someone falls or someone gets injured, or is killed by missiles thrown from the top, it will not be because the authorities didn't know what was going on. One slip and they'd be dead," he said.

"They [the youths] have been throwing projectiles from the top and narrowly missing people and one was so heavy it left a big hole in the decking below."