SUMMER holidays spell fun for schoolchildren as they let their hair down for six weeks.

Yet fun does not always equate with safety. Every year, across the UK, youngsters are killed or injured when playing on or near railway lines.

Last week a 16-year-old boy died after climbing on to a freight train and touching overhead power lines in Wrenthorpe near Wakefield. Another boy and a woman aged 18 were also taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Children and teenagers are not always aware of the dangers surrounding the railway network. “Every year during this period there is an increase in the number of incidents such as trespass and vandalism,” says Jacqueline Wilson, police sergeant with British Transport Police (BTP). “It coincides with light nights and school holidays.”

From June 2014 to the end of May this year there were 398 incidents across west Yorkshire, with 34 in the Bradford district. Of these 313 were trespass, with 18 in Bradford district.

In May alone there were 63 incidents of trespass across West Yorkshire, with four taking place in the Bradford district. “This does not sound like a lot but each one results in delays in services and can impact upon a lot of people, as well as being a great danger to the person trespassing, ” says Jacqueline.

Other incidents include stone throwing, malicious obstruction and endangering safety.

Rail staff have to be on their guard against malicious obstruction - items deliberately placed on the line. “It could be stones, wood, anything - we treat this extremely seriously because it could derail a train. We have to let children know about the dangers,” says Jacqueline.

Increased patrols by BTP officers are carried out during the holiday period. In May a new, priority crime team was created targeting the holiday period.

“We are not here to make criminals of people and we don’t want to stop children from playing outside. They need to play outside but not near or on the railway. We are here to educate, to prevent crime.”

Parents need to know where their children are playing, and make sure they are not opening themselves up to risk, stresses Jacqueline. “They may be crossing a railway line as a short cut to a nearby den. It is important to make sure that they use a footbridge or road bridge.”

Every year across the UK, up to 60 people are killed on the railway by crossing the tracks, taking short cuts or playing chicken.

“They may not hear the train approaching and it cannot swerve to avoid them. It can take up to 20 football pitches for a train to stop. When we attend fatalities the body is never near the train,” says Jacqueline. “It is never safe to take a short cut across the tracks.”

Modern trains are deceptively silent and extremely fast. A train travelling at 125 mph takes only seven seconds to travel a quarter of a mile.

One of the most difficult areas of Jacqueline’s job is having to inform parents that their child has been involved in an incident on the railway.

“I don’t want to have to go to someone’s house and deliver bad news that their son or daughter is not coming home. I am a parent myself and I cannot imagine the devastation that could bring to the family.”

In Jacqueline’s experience most incidents - which can also result in prosecution - involve youngsters aged between nine and 14.

BTP officers and Network Rail also work in conjunction with Bradford Council, carrying out trackside and embankment clean ups and visiting local schools to talk about the dangers posed by the railways.

Areas which have experienced problems in the past, such as Dalcross Grove, West Bowling, and Wyke Tunnel where items are sometimes thrown onto the track, are given special attention and additional foot patrols in summer. “We carried out a big clean up earlier this year at Dalcross Grove,” says Jacqueline, “Vegetation has been cut back and we have high-visibility patrols at all key locations.”

She adds: “We also look to see if fencing is in good order. Network Rail is spending a lot of money mending fences.”

Such efforts have helped to reduce rail route crime across West Yorkshire by ten per cent from last year.

“People are also more aware that incidents can be reported,” adds Jacqueline.

*Incidents can be reported by texting 61016 or ringing the BTP control room 0800 405040.