Children on railway tracks prompt safety review

A safety review has been launched after multiple incidents of trespassers on railway tracks were reported at a level crossing in West Sussex.

Network Rail said it caught 20 incidents on CCTV over the last five years, including four in January, with children on the tracks at Clappers Lane, near Ferring, narrowly avoiding being hit passing trains.

The crossing has been temporarily closed while the rail authority looks to install "further measures to improve the safety of the crossing and deter further incidents of misuse".

Stuart Tautz, operations risk advisor for Network Rail, said: "The risk of being electrocuted is much greater than you may think."

Footage showed one young person appearing to urinate on a stretch of the railway at Ferring, where trains pass through at up to 70mph, according to Network Rail.

The rail authority said all the incidents had been reported to British Transport Police.

Mr Tautz added: "We've already spoken to local schools about the dangers of not using this level crossing properly, because we need to get the message out there that level crossings just aren't safe places to play or mess around on."

Lucy McAuliffe, Network Rail's Sussex route director, said: "These aren't just isolated incidents."

The authority said a number of measures were already in place to tackle the issue, including extra signage, installing cameras and hosting educational events.

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