Shocking CCTV shows youngsters putting lives in danger by jumping on railways

Network Rail has today (July 22) released the alarming CCTV footage as it urges people to stay off the railways, following more than 2,600 incidents of trespass in the last year across Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and the North East.

Of the incidents of trespassing recorded across the North and East in 2023-24, 314 of them were children.

Network Rail said people are more likely to trespass in the summer months, and caused almost 12,000 minutes of delays over the last year.

The CCTV shows irresponsible behaviour at Newton Aycliffe, Seaham, and Bramley stations.

People can be seen running across the tracks, taking shortcuts, and using the railway for photo shoots, putting their lives in significant danger.

Chloe Creffield, Network Rail’s community safety manager in the North and East, said: “The railway is an incredibly dangerous place and people who trespass are putting themselves at risk and breaking the law.

“We urge people to remember the consequences of trespassing and the devastating impact it can have on themselves, their family, passengers and the wider community, and train drivers. Closing the railway while we investigate incidents of trespass disrupts lives and also causes costly delays for passengers.

“Ahead of the summer holidays, we hope the CCTV footage will remind the public to think of their own safety and see that trespassing on the railway can be life-threatening.”

Nationally, statistics show that on average at least two people risk their lives on the railway every hour.