More than 130 people risk their lives on Nottinghamshire railways in 12 months

Police dealt with more than 130 separate incidents of people trespassing on Nottinghamshire railways in less than 12 months.

Among the problems dealt with by British Transport Police were a man brandishing a hand rifle by the line and drunk people jumping over the barriers.

And at least three people have been killed on Notts railway lines in the last 12 months, in separate incidents being investigated by police.

Overall, incidents on Notts railway lines have increased by five per cent since 2015.

The figures, released following a Freedom of Information (FOI) Act Request by Notts TV News.

British Transport Police Chief Inspector Stuart Middlemas said: “There has been a slight increase in terms of trespass reported over the last 12 months.

“Simple trespass is up around five per cent, however we think that’s because of an increase in the amount of reports through people calling or using our text service.

“People really need to think about the consequences as I have been in those situations where we have had to deliver death messages to loved ones.”

rail, trains, railway
Police say incidents on railway lines are up five per cent in Notts.

There were a number of serious incidents which happened on Notts’ railways last year where people lost their lives after being hit by a train.

In October, a 30-year-old woman died after being hit by a train near a level crossing in Kirkby-in-Ashfield.

In April 2016, a 22-year-old man from Sheffield died after being hit on the Robin Hood Line near Shirebrook.

And major incidents have already taken place on the local railway network in 2017 too; on Monday a man was hit and killed by a train at Tuxford West Junction.

East Midlands Trains employee Joy Iggleden won an award in November for managing to talk a man out of committing suicide on the railway in Notts.

British Transport Police want people to consider their safety at all times when near the railway, especially when they are tempted to take risks at level crossings to avoid having to wait for passing trains.

Chief Insp Middlemas said: “We urge people to think about their safety in a moment of madness or a lack of thought or clarity.

“They could suffer life changing injuries or even far worse; we urge these people to think about their loved ones.

“We take matters seriously as we attend every incident but we want people to think.”

Other serious incidents happened on Nottinghamshire’s railways which caused disruption to services.

In April, train services between Nottingham and Mansfield were brought to a halt because of cable theft.

In August, services were brought to a standstill again between the two destinations after a woman was hit by a train.

The highest percentage of incidents in 2016 happened at Nottingham train station, where 16 of the 138 incidents across Notts took place.

Train-Station-Nottingham
Nottingham Station has seen the most incidents in Notts.

Mansfield’s train station was second in the list with 13 incidents taking place there throughout the year.

The highest proportion happened in the month of April, with 28 taking place throughout that 30 day period.

The lowest amount happened in January where seven incidents happened.

 

(Visited 114 times, 1 visits today)