From thewestonmercury.co.uk
http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/archi ... ailway.asp
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Going off the rails
Weston Mercury - 10th June 2005
newsdesk@thewestonmercury.co.uk
Lives are being put in danger because children in Weston are dumping bricks, concrete, wood and rubbish on railway lines for fun.
In the latest incident, a Virgin Voyager train suffered ú10,000 of damage when it hit a shopping trolley which had been placed on the line underneath Flowerdown Bridge.
The train stopped and the driver found the front of the train, its advanced warning system and various mechanical parts had been badly damaged.
The 11.32am service had been travelling from Newquay to Edinburgh on Sunday. But after hitting the trolley in Weston had to be taken out of service in Bristol and passengers were forced to find another train.
Railway bosses are worried the tracks are becoming a target for rebellious youngsters.
PC Clive Davies was employed 18 months ago by the British Transport Police and Network Rail specifically to tackle the problem of children placing objects on the tracks and throwing missiles at the trains.
Although he covers the whole of the South West down to Penzance, PC Davies spends most of his time patrolling the tracks in Bristol and Weston on his bike.
He said: "We do get a lot of problems with kids throwing stones and bricks and the windows being smashed, particularly in the Uphill area.
"They also place rocks on the tracks and when they realise a train can smash over them, they put bigger obstructions like concrete blocks, bits of trees, and most recently a shopping trolley. I've also seen signal cables pulled onto the tracks.
"It is highly dangerous and trains travelling at 90mph can be derailed, which could cause multiple fatalities.
"It might seem like fun to the youngsters but the consequences can be very serious and not only for the passengers. Throwing a brick at a building is criminal damage but throwing a brick at a train is classed as endangering safety with intent and carries a life sentence.
"Recently someone was sent to prison for four years for placing concrete on the tracks.
"The number of incidents is increasing and we need to tackle the problem now before it escalates any further.
"We are always out on the railways in cars and on bikes controlling the problems and have launched more high profile patrols.
"Education officers are also going into schools to teach the youngsters about the huge risks involved."
If anyone has information about the latest incident call 0800 405040.
The 11.32am service had been travelling from Newquay to Edinburgh on Sunday. But after hitting the trolley in Weston it had to be taken out of service in Bristol and passengers were forced to use another train.
Railway bosses are worried tracks around Weston are becoming a target for rebellious youngsters.
PC Clive Davies was employed 18 months ago by the British Transport Police and Network Rail specifically to tackle the problem of children placing objects on the tracks and throwing missiles at trains.
Although he covers the whole of the South West down to Penzance, PC Davies spends most of his time patrolling the tracks in Bristol and Weston on his bike.
He said: "We do get a lot of problems with kids throwing stones and bricks and the windows being smashed, particularly in the Uphill area.
"They also place rocks on the tracks and when they realise a train can smash over them, they put bigger obstructions like concrete blocks, bits of trees, and most recently a shopping trolley. I've also seen signal cables pulled onto the tracks.
"It is highly dangerous and trains travelling at 90mph can be derailed, which could cause multiple fatalities.
"It might seem like fun to the youngsters but the consequences can be very serious, and not only for the passengers. Throwing a brick at a building is criminal damage but throwing a brick at a train is classed as endangering safety with intent and carries a life sentence.
"Someone was recently sent to prison for four years for placing concrete on the tracks.
"The number of incidents is increasing and we need to tackle the problem now before it escalates any further.
"We are always out on the railways, using cars and bikes to control the problems and we have launched more high profile patrols.
"Education officers are also going into schools to teach the youngsters about the huge risks involved."
If anyone has information about the latest incident call 0800 405040.
ò Pictured above: British Transport Police officer Clive Davies shows some of the debris - including bricks and concrete slabs - put on railway tracks by children.