Tuesday 20 Aug 2024
Revealed: Animals who top the list of trespassers on the track on Wales and Western region
- Region & Route:
- Wales & Western
- | Wales & Western: Wales & Borders
- | Wales & Western: Western
New figures released by Network Rail reveal that animals trespassed 246 times in the Wales & Western region in the 12 months to March 2024, ranging from sheep at one end of the scale to cats, foxes and even a solitary badger.
But by far the worst offenders are people with more than 5,500 incidents in the same period – one every 95 minutes.
When it comes to animals, would ewe believe it – sheep lead the way with 65 incidents during the year.
Deer, who tend to live in high numbers across rural, forested areas, which are commonly found alongside the railway, came in second place with 46 incidents.
Next in line were dogs (36) and swans (33), with cows (31) moo-ving into fifth spot.
Other incidents involved birds (10), pigs (7), cats (6), horses (5), foxes (4), with one incident each caused by a goat, dormouse and badger.
Dorian Davies, Network Rail’s Wales & Borders route programme manager for operations, said: “Owing to our largely rural geography, farm animals are our most disruptive animal trespassers, delaying services by breaking fence lines and getting onto the track. We regularly work with farmers across the route to try to minimise this impact.
“We’ve also seen a number of incidents involving dogs off leads, with near misses being caused by distracted owners chasing after them at level crossings. Dogs should always be kept on a short lead near the railway.
“But by far the greatest number of incidents of trespass on the railway is caused by people. Not only is trespass illegal, and anyone caught could face up to a £1,000 fine plus a criminal record, but it can potentially have a devastating impact to their families and those working on the railway.”
Trespass numbers across the whole network
Across the whole of Great Britain, animals trespassed 1,432 times in the same 12-month period, with the main offender being deer (349 recorded incidents).
Also causing plenty of issues on the tracks were sheep (177), birds (172), cows (156) and swans (143). Other dastardly villains across the country included dogs (135), cats (107), badgers (55), foxes (42) and in tenth place, pigs (38). Some of the more unexpected visitors have included bees, mice, hedgehogs and even a llama and a tortoise.
But none of them ranked anywhere near people, who caused more than 19,300 incidents – one every half-an-hour – across the network.
Helen Hamlin, Network Rail’s operations chief, said: “Trespassing on the railway is a serious offence that causes delays to thousands of trains every year and can be very costly for people – causing death and life changing injuries due to the railways many hidden dangers. This summer, when we see trespass at its peak our message is clear whoever you are: child, adult, dog walker, holiday maker or beast – stay off the tracks.”
Notes to Editors
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) estimated that the deer population has increased from 450,000 in the 1970s to two million today – the highest levels for 1,000 years with milder winters, increased woodland and agricultural changes being some of the factors linked to this rise.
Other measures to tackle animal incursions onto the railway across the country include:
Trialling the use of AI to detect deer on the railway.
In May (2023), Network Rail and London North Eastern Railway (LNER) trialled a deer detection system using artificial intelligence (AI) along two key hotspots on the East Coast Main Line which runs from London King’s Cross station to Edinburgh after high volumes of deer were found entering the railway boundary.
Since then, the system has deterred just under 6,000 deer from accessing the railway, with plans for it to be rolled out further in the near future.
The automated deer deterrent system (ADDs) uses sound and vision sensors to identify when a deer approaches the track and once it has, sets an alarm off that warns the deer away. The AI cameras then monitor its movement until it has been diverted to a safe distance away.
Installing wildlife crossings.
Deer leaps were first trialled in Scotland, in 2019, with the aim being to allow younger deer to get over the fences and reduce the number of potential accidents involving them if they get lost on the railway.
Annually inspecting fencing and working closely with farmers who own land near the railway.
Network Rail works closely with local communities and farmers who live alongside the railway to ensure that suitable fencing is installed and maintained along the railway boundary on an annual basis - further fence checks are also carried out if farmers bring more livestock to their land.
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