Two brothers illegally used teenage boys to remove potentially fatal asbestos from a Yeadon building, a Court heard.

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

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

Neil Medley, 37, 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 that the company run by Andrew Medley, 36, 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 the file.

Before adjourning the hearing until Friday 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 and its chief inspector, David Dean, said after the hearing: "The HSE is extremely pleased that these matters have progressed successfully today."

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

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.