Runaways living in car wreckers yard

Two young Rotorua runaways found living in car wrecks had left home five days ago but were not reported missing, police say.

The boys, aged 10 and 11, had been sleeping in car wrecks in Central Auto Dismantlers in Ferguson Pl.

The pair - who do not come from the same home - had been seen playing in the yard.

However, no one had realised they were staying overnight, after apparently winning over the yard's guard dog.

Detective Sergeant Arthur McLean said the boys had been sleeping in the wrecks for five days.

The parents had not reported the boys missing, he said.

One of the boys was now in Child, Youth and Family care and the other had gone to a relative.

The children will be dealt with by the police Youth Aid section, and police were speaking with their parents to establish what had happened.

Central Auto Dismantlers owner Bryce Steiner had suspected children had been playing in his yard for the past six weeks.

However, he had never imagined boys as young as 10 were living there.

Yesterday about 7.30am, Mr Steiner was having his morning coffee when a staff member ran in saying there were two young kids sitting down the back of the yard on a forklift.

"We sprinted off after them. They were trying to jump the back fence.

"We grabbed them by the scruff of the neck and frog marched them back to work and sat them on the floor and rang the police.

"I was reading them the riot act ... at 8am the adrenalin was pumping that's for sure."

Later yesterday police told Mr Steiner the boys had been hiding out for five days in his yard.

"I don't know where they were sleeping or what they were eating.

"There are cars down there where you can hop in and shut the doors and windows and have a sleep."

Mr Steiner said that for weeks he had noticed his vehicles had been "rummaged" through and a staff member saw children playing in the yard one Saturday morning.

Mr Steiner prides himself on having a secure yard, complete with guard dogs.

However, the children had been getting through a hole in a barbed wire fence. He fixed the fence but they found another way in.

Cars parked at the yard by customers and staff, which had keys in the ignitions, were broken into and the keys were stolen.

Mr Steiner said staff left keys in the ignitions because they thought the guard dogs would scare anyone away.

Mr Steiner said despite his efforts, every weekend he could tell someone had been in the yard.

"I was more worried about them hurting themselves if a car fell on them."

Two weeks ago, Mr Steiner contacted the police after several vehicles were vandalised with graffiti.

"I'd heard from other yards that kids had been getting in there and pushing the high stacks of cars over.

"I checked my yard and sure enough that had been happening to me too."

Mr Steiner said he had now given up on his so-called guard dogs because they must have been easily won over by the children.