Number of people risking their lives trespassing in the North East hits five-year-high

Tyne Tees
Network Rail
Thursday 13 April 2017 at 3:11pm

Trespassing on UK's railways hits record high Credit: Network Rail/British Transport Police

Trespassing on railways in the North East is at a five year high, according to latest figures from the British Transport Police.

In 2016, there were around 313 incidents of people risking their lives on the rail network, a 22% on the previous year.

Across Britain, one person trespasses on the railway every hour, putting their lives in danger.

Research also shows young people are more likely to take a risk on the tracks, with seasonal peaks in incidents coinciding with the spring and summer school holidays.

Hayley Bull, community safety manager at Network Rail explains:

To try to tackle the problem Network Rail has launched a schools engagement programme, which aims to teach children in trespass hotspots about railway safety.

The ‘Tackling Track Safety’ programme will be rolled-out to more than 100 schools across Britain, using sport to educate children about the dangers across the network.

In 2016, more than 17 children were caught trespassing by police in the region, with boys aged 14 to 16 being stopped the most .

Inspector Brian Buddo from BTP in Newcastle said:

We believe the number of children we encounter trespassing every year is sadly, just the tip of the iceberg. Every single day we are called to the tracks because a train driver has had to sound their horn or apply their emergency brake In a desperate bid to avoid youths on the line, who then run off, seemingly unaware of the danger they have put themselves in. We continue to do all we can to keep youngsters safe by patrolling areas where we know they’re likely to trespass and prevent them from doing so. However, we cover thousands of miles of track and we cannot tackle this issue alone. That is why we are urging parents and young people to heed this warning and take a reality check when it comes to trespass. It’s not a game: they are real tracks, with real trains and real-life consequences.