April 23, 2020 1.24 pm This story is over 47 months old

Eight railway trespass incidents in Lincolnshire during lockdown

Trespassing is illegal and extremely dangerous
There have been eight recorded railway trespass incidents in Lincolnshire since lockdown. Photo: Network Rail

There have been eight recorded railway trespass incidents in Lincolnshire since lockdown was imposed and Network Rail is warning people in the East Midlands to stay away from the tracks.

Over one third of the trespass incidents recorded in the region since lockdown have involved children or young people. Eight of the incidents took place in Lincolnshire, with four involving children and young people.

Incidents included three youths lineside on bicycles, a man and a child walking lineside and a man and a woman crossing a bridge when a freight train was approaching. The reported incidents include Lincoln, Scunthorpe and Spalding.
Dawn Sweeting, Community Safety Manager for Network Rail, said: “These trespass incidents in the East Midlands are shocking, and show many people are oblivious to the dangers they are putting themselves, their friends or their loved ones in.

“It’s never safe to hang around on the railway or use it to take shortcuts, but sadly too many people ignore the warning signs and take risks that have resulted in tragic consequences.

“We’ve seen a worrying number of incidents at a time when people should be following government guidelines and staying at home where possible. We are urging people to stay safe and stay off the tracks.”

Trespassing is illegal, extremely dangerous and can have fatal or life changing consequences.

Trains travel at high speeds and cannot stop quickly or swerve out the way and a deadly 25,000 volts run through the overhead wires, which are used to power some trains. Nine out of 10 people who come into contact with the overhead cables die and the remainder suffer life-changing injuries.