Media centre

Thursday 17 Jul 2008

STARK WARNING FOR WEST COUNTRY RAILWAY PRANKSTERS

Region & Route:

| Wales & Western: Wales & Borders

| Southern: Wessex

| Wales & Western

| Southern

Network Rail has today warned young people in the West Country to stop risking their lives on the railway. The warning comes ahead of the school summer holidays when rail crime peaks. It has also unveiled figures that hit home the grim fact that many young people are betting their lives and others’ just for a bit of fun.

Almost 1,200 incidents of railway crime were reported in the West Country last year with nearly half of these committed by young people. There were around 900 incidents of trespass – the most common offence, with a third of these being young people playing dangerously near or on the tracks. As it is impossible to record every incident, the true number is estimated to be much higher.

Nationally, in the last five years one in four accidental fatalities was of someone aged eight to 18 with half of all near-misses involving children.

These incidents cost the industry more than £2million and resulted in over 56,000 minutes of delay to train services last year. Bristol, Weston-Super-Mare and Plymouth were the top three towns most affected by rail crime.

Recorded incidents in the West Country include:

- Pranks: Trolleys, boulders and bricks being thrown at trains and placed on the tracks; young people dangling off a bridge above a railway

- Trespass: riding motorbikes on the line and running along a parapet parallel to a track

- Graffiti and setting fire to objects on the track

Chris Fuoco, Area General Manager, Network Rail said: “Sadly the combination of good weather and school holidays always results in an increase of trespass and vandalism on the railways by young people. Their actions are not only illegal but could prove fatal. We all remember feeling young and invincible but the danger posed to trespassers on the railway is a real one.

“At Network Rail we do all we can to prevent incidents - improving fencing, surveillance, closing crossings and even having a team of rail crime education managers, who work with the community to raise awareness.

“I would ask that parents remind their children of the dangers they could be placing themselves in and that the railway is not a playground."

Besides working with the train operators and the British Transport Police to stamp out rail crimes, Network Rail organises an annual No Messin’ Live! summer roadshow. The events are designed to engage young people in new and exciting activities and steer them away from the dangers of the railway.

This year’s event in the West Country will be held in Weston-Super-Mare on 29th and 30th August 2008 at the Hutton Moor Leisure Centre, Weston-Super-Mare. Activities will include DJ-ing, football, athletics, bike skills, karate, cheerleading, street dance, tennis, tri-golf and many more.