The British Transport Police and Network Rail have launched a summer campaign urging children and young people not to play on or near railway lines. HELEN MEAD reports

For schoolchildren, the long summer holidays bring a chance to let their hair down and have fun.

But the extended break means increased vigilance for those policing Britain’s railways. Across the country, the vacation brings a rising number of incidents involving youngsters playing or deliberately causing damage alongside or near the tracks.

One hotspot close to York is Skelton Bridge junction at Nether Poppleton, at the point where the bridge crosses the River Ouse.

“In hot weather groups of youths jump into the river from the bridge,” says Inspector Richard Price, a British Transport Police (BTP) officer based at York Station who is at present seconded to work with Network Rail. “They put themselves in great danger - the track is the East Coast Main Line.

“Every year we increase patrols, as a preventative measure and also if we receive reports we can hopefully pre-empt anything happening. But we can’t be there all the time.”

That's why, each year the BTP joins forces with Network Rail to deliver a life-saving campaign focusing on safety near the railways. This year the national initiative - which in similar forms has run for almost two decades - comes as reports of young people risking their lives on the railways hits a four-year high, up almost 80 per cent in the last five years. In the last 12 months alone, seven young people under the age of 18 have lost their lives and a further 48 people have received life changing injuries.

National figures also show that more than a quarter of teenagers (27 per cent) confess to behaving in a way that could endanger their life on the railway. One in 10 teenagers admitted to walking along the railway line - more than two fifths of those (42 per cent) in the last year.

“We do get a spike in the number of incidents during the school holidays, when nights are lighter and kids have time on their hands," says Insp Price. "It is the same at other times of the year, such as the Easter and Witsun breaks.”

The national ‘You Vs Train’ campaign run by the BTP and Network Rail aims to target teenagers to make them face the serious and devastating consequences for them and their loved ones when they make the potentially life-changing decision to ignore warnings and go onto the railway, with its obvious and hidden dangers.

At the heart of this year's campaign is the story of Tom Hubbard, a young boy from the West Midlands who suffered life-changing injuries in 2014 when he was electrocuted by the overhead power cables.

Tom suffered third degree burns across 57 per cent of his body and he has been left to deal with the serious physical and psychological consequences ever since. A short film featuring Tom and his family has been launched across social media and will be shown in cinemas throughout the summer.

As part of the campaign, the BTP has also released horrifying CCTV footage from West Yorkshire showing children throwing stones at trains and trespassing on tracks at Low Moor in Bradford has been released by the BTP.

Following the incidents, four offenders, three girls and a boy, all aged 13, were issued a community resolution agreement, with three of them writing a letter of apology to the area manager of Northern Rail.

Throwing objects at a train or placing them on a track can not only damage the train, but endanger the life of those travelling, transport police say. The crime of deliberately endangering life on the railway can result in a life sentence.

Electrified lines can bring a different set of dangers. Electricity from overhead lines can arc many feet through the air, particularly in wet weather. “Anyone swinging an object onto the cables puts themselves in great danger. There are 25,000 volts going through the overhead wires,” says Inspector Andy Roberts, whose team officers cover North Yorkshire up to Skipton and West Yorkshire. “We have a had a number of incidents on the lines from Bradford, and Ilkley, to Skipton.”

In tandem with the campaign, BTP officers across the Yorkshire region such as Insp Price and Insp Roberts are working hard to raise awareness of the dangers.

“Summer holidays see an increase due to the warmer weather, longer days and children out of school looking for something to do,” Insp Roberts says. “Also in today’s economy many parents work, so youngsters are spending more time on their own.”

During the holidays increased patrols by officers target ‘hotspots’, where incidents - which usually involving youngsters aged between 11 and 13, but also younger and older children - occur more regularly.

“We have had situations in which very young children, aged six or seven, have been seen putting items on the lines. At that age they are inquisitive and don’t realise the dangers. They don’t think about the fact that a train cannot quickly stop or swerve. Often, the most a driver can do is sound the horn,” says Insp Roberts, who in his 20-year career has several times had to visit families to deliver bad news, after someone has been injured or killed on the railway.

“That is the worst part of the job,” he says.

But at least parents can now show youngsters BTP safety videos online to educate them as to the dangers. “They can look on YouTube, and learn about why they should avoid the railways.”

The tragic and needless death of young people is what the transport police fear the most. But incidents on or near lines can also cause delays and so inconvenience, not only on the particular line where the incident happened but also on other routes across the country. “There are serious knock-on effects. As well as timetable disruptions, drivers and other staff working on other routes often travel to work by train, so they will not arrive on time,” says Insp Roberts. “Delays put a strain on society - everyone has a job to do, and will be stopped from doing it.”

Members of the public can be a great help in preventing problems, adds Insp Roberts, by reporting any suspicious behaviour near the railways. “Some people may worry that what they saw is not important enough to ring, but we can decide that. We appreciate any information.”

*Anyone witnessing an incident on the railways should call BTP on 0800 405040, or text 61016.