YOUNGSTERS have been warned that they are dicing with death by treating quarries as playgrounds.

A survey of active quarries has shown that they are breaking into sites to swim in lakes up to 40ft deep, climb steep rock faces, race motorbikes across rough terrain and dig in sand piles where they are in danger of being buried.

Elizabeth Clements, of the Quarry Products Association, said: "Site managers are desperately worried about this problem, which has claimed a number of lives over recent years and could cost more this summer.

"During the long summer evenings and holidays, children's natural inquisitiveness often leads them to seek out new experiences. Quarries can seem like exciting secret places to play and it's hard for them to understand why we need to keep them out."

Every year some people die in quarry accidents and many more are injured, some seriously.

Two young men had to be rescued by firefighters from quarries in the Malvern Hills last summer and one Bromyard man died in the freezing water of a Bringsty quarry after wading in to retrieve a fishing float.

Ian Rowat, director of Malvern Hills Conservators, said the fencing and danger signs at quarries on the board's land were regularly checked and he believed local people were well aware of the dangers.

"We had a fatality in the Gullet Quarry a few years ago," he said.

"People think you are just being a killjoy when you tell them not to swim there but the water in both the Gullet and Earnslaw quarries is very deep and very cold.

"There are also dangerous bits of metal lurking underneath. We've had cars dumped in the Gullet Quarry and there's even an abandoned lorry in there.

"Climbing the quarries may look attractive but they are very loose and people do get into difficulties. They get half way up and then they freeze."