A WOMAN has been banned from the railway in the Vale of York because her activities caused massive disruption on the East Coast Main Line.

Trains had to be stopped in their tracks on several occasions and their passengers endured long delays while the emergency services removed Bethany Rose De-Cogan, 20, from the line, York Magistrates Court heard.

Natalie Chapman, prosecuting, said on May 11 at 7am she was staggering over Low Gates level crossing in Northallerton singing with head phones on.

When transport police tried to remove her she went onto the railway embankment and trains had to be stopped for her safety.

The incident led to 123 minutes of delays and cost the railway companies £10, 626.

There were other incidents when she caused delays on June 1, June 3 and June 30.

She also kicked a paramedic who tried to stop her walking down the A19 towards traffic and harassed a woman she knew and whom she deluged with scores of text messages and phone calls.

After reading medical and probation reports on her, district judge Adrian Lower made a five-year criminal behaviour order to "protect the public, particularly the travelling public from this sort of behaviour".

It bans her from going to Northallerton and Thirsk railway stations and on railway land throughout Hambleton district except for a list of legitimate reasons.

She was also banned from drinking in public in Hambleton or going to a building of the emergency services or NHS except with a genuine need for help or treatment.

He made an indefinite restraining order to protect the harassment victim, and gave De-Cogan an 18-month community order with 20 days' rehabilitative activities and a six-month alcohol treatment requirement. She must pay £100 each to the paramedic and the harassment victim.

De-Cogan, formerly of Malpas Road, Northallerton, pleaded guilty to four charges of obstructing trains and one each of making nuisance messages, assaulting an emergency worker and harassment.

For her, Steve Munro said she was moving to a "more secluded place away from railway lines and that will remove her from temptation".

"A lot of this was a cry for help," he said. She had not been in trouble since September.