POLICE have warned that rail passengers could have been killed by a spate of incidents that included a three piece suite being thrown onto a rail line in Bradford.

Furniture, a brick and a bike was thrown off bridges in West Bowling and Wyke over the weekend, it has emerged.

Police have now issued a stark warning that such "foolish and dangerous" acts could have lead to multiple deaths.

Officers are increasing patrols around the area and will visit schools to hammer home rail safety messages.

The first incident was reported to police at 8pm on Friday. The driver of the 18:11pm Blackpool to Leeds service reported hitting a mountain bike as the train passed under a bridge at Station Road in Wyke. The bike damaged one of the engines on the train, which then had to be taken out of service.

At 6.20pm the next day a three piece suite and mattress were thrown onto the tracks from Dalcross Footbridge in West Bowling. The driver spotted the items on the tracks and stopped the train to avoid a crash.

At around 5.50pm on Sunday the 17:05pm Huddersfield to Leeds was approaching Bradford Interchange when a brick was thrown at the train as it passed the same bridge, bouncing off the windscreen and smashing the glass. The train also had to be taken out of service to be fixed.

In each case there were no reported injuries.

Inspector Granville Sellers, from British Transport Police, said “Whoever was responsible for these foolish and dangerous acts put the lives of rail passengers and staff at risk.

“They have also caused unnecessary delays and disruption to passengers’ journeys as the damaged trains had to taken out of service to be fixed.

“We urge those who think that throwing objects at trains or onto railway lines is fun, or a good way to dispose of their household items to think about the consequences of their actions, which could result in serious injury or someone being killed.

“Officers will be stepping up patrols in the area to try and catch those responsible and we have been already conducting local enquiries into the incident. There were a number of children and young people in the area who were spoken to by police following the incident.

“They will also be undertaking visits to schools and youth groups in the area to reinforce the message of the dangers of throwing objects at trains and treating the railway as a playground, and I would also like to ask that parents to do the same and speak to their children to re-emphasise the risks.

“I would like to appeal to anyone who may know who is responsible, or saw anything suspicious in the Wyke or Dalcross areas over the weekend at the relevant times to get in touch.”

Anyone with information can contact 0800 40 50 40 quoting PSUB/B6 of 14/7/2014 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.