SECURITY has been upgraded to stop children risking their lives by vandalising an electricity substation, at a cost of £60,000.

Youngsters could have been electrocuted when they set fire to the doors of the power centre at Middlesbrough College, in Acklam.

A spokesman for Northern Electric Distribution Limited (NEDL) said the 33,000 volt electric shock would almost certainly kill anyone fooling around at the substation.

"It is such a foolhardy thing to do and these kids could have easily have died," said spokesman Paul Keenan. "If they had come into contact with any equipment that would have been it.

"They have been causing havoc down there and we are obviously concerned about their safety, so the message is stay away."

The youngsters got into the site by climbing trees and left the site covered in graffiti. The trees have been removed while two beech and two lime trees have been planted to landscape the station.

Project manager for NEDL Bob Ramshaw said: "We are conscious of the sensitivity surrounding the removal of trees at any location and because of that, we have worked closely with the local authority, the 2020 community group and tree management experts to come up with the right solution."

As well as replacing the trees a new perimeter fence has also been erected.