Rasen mum's plea after witnessing children on train tracks

The British Transport Police say they have had ‘no incidents’ of children playing on the tracks reported in the Rasen area but Helen Baker initially took to Facebook to warn parents to be on their guard, especially with the suimmer holidays approaching.

Ms Baker, of Oxford Street, told the Mail: “I saw the children on the train tracks a couple of weeks ago around 4pm.

“Just after I saw the, I wanted I warn parents in Market Rasen as to what kids are up to. They ranged mostly 7 or 8 up to 11 or 12. There were s ix of them - four girls, two boys.

“I live next JJ’s Cafe so I can see the track clearly and I was very concerned to see these children due to personal reasons - my cousin was hit by a train a few years back and was just a child himself.

“My son saw them and thought it was ok and safe to be on train track so I had to fully explain to him the dangers and have had to daily since then.”

British Transport Police said: “We have not got any incidents on our systems at the moment but that is not to say that this incident did not happen.

“In the last decade, almost 170 people have lost their lives trespassing on the railway.

“Almost half of those killed were under the age of 25.

“Research also shows young people are more likely to take a risk on the tracks, with seasonal peaks in incidents coinciding with the spring and summer school holidays.

“Last year, our officers caught more than 550 children walking along or messing around on the tracks.

“We’re doing all we can to keep people safe by patrolling areas we know they’re likely to trespass .

“We’re also working closely with Network Rail and train operators to reduce trespass by improving security across the network, using covert surveillance to catch trespassers.

“You can help us drive down trespass by talking to your children about the dangers of going on the tracks.”

and making sure you get home safely.”