A council is to be prosecuted following the deaths of two teenage girls on a school "river walking" trip.

Leeds City Council will face two charges under health and safety at work regulations following the deaths of Hannah Black, 13, and Rochelle Cauvet, 14, at Stainforth Beck, near Settle, North Yorkshire, in October 2000.

The prosecution comes after an inquest jury returned a verdict of accidental death on the two girls.

The 14-day inquest was told how Hannah and Rochelle, both from Leeds, died after they lost their footing as they waded across a fast-flowing stream on 10 October 2000.

We are considering the implications of this action

Leeds City Council spokeswoman

The "river walk" was part of a residential week planned by Royds School, in Oulton, near Leeds.

In a statement, the Health and Safety Executive said it would be prosecuting the council for contravention of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, because it alleges the authority failed to ensure the youngsters were not exposed to safety risks.

The decision comes almost four months after the inquest at Harrogate Magistrates Court.

The council also faces prosecution for failing to complete a risk assessment of river walking activities at Stainforth Beck.

The girls drowned on a school trip

Following the announcement, a Leeds City Council spokeswoman said: "At present, we are considering the implications of this action by the Health and Safety Executive and will take appropriate legal measures."

The Crown Prosecution Service has already announced that no teacher, other individual or organisation will be prosecuted over the incident.

A preliminary date for a hearing at Leeds Magistrates Court has been set for 9 September.

Anthony Sugare, solicitor for the family of Hannah Black, said: "I am not surprised that action is being taken.

"But I am surprised that the only action that is contemplated through the criminal courts is that against the council, rather than against the school and some of the teachers involved in the trip."

The two teachers who took part in the school trip remain suspended from Royds School.