Rail Tracks Are Dangerous

Councillor Phil Bateman said "I have been quite disturbed since the week end when my nephew pointed out a very dangerous practice that had been posted on the world wide web."

He added "In a video shot by a young man he lay within the tracks of a railway and filmed a train passing over him! Now this is not only dangerous to him, but it is dangerous to any other young person who is urged to emulate his actions. In my view he was a very lucky young man.

With this in mind I approached British Transport Police yesterday and voiced my concern. I can inform you that BTP are already investigating the situation.

What is certain is that we all must ensure that our young people do not treat railways including the track of the tram, as a playground! Make no mistake a 'live running rail track' is safe only if it is treated with respect.

This issue throws up two dangers. One is the danger of using railways as play grounds or places where you can test your courage, the second is the danger of the world wide web and its misuse, which can lead to copycat action.

I would urge parents schools and others to ensure that their children fully understand the dangers that some sites on the world wide web pose. I hope that the police are able to act against the owner of the film and take action to remove the video recording from the site."