An urgent police alert has been sounded after two children narrowly avoided disaster while ‘playing chicken’ on a railway line in a tranquil Welsh village. A train driver was forced to execute an emergency stop when he spotted one of the youngsters on the tracks, who then dodged away from the oncoming train just in time.
The heart-stopping incident occurred on the Heart of Wales line near Knighton on the Powys-Shropshire border at approximately 2:40 pm on Sunday, September 8, as reported by Transport for Wales. The BBC disclosed that a thorough search was conducted by officers from West Mercia Police, Dyfed-Powys, and British Transport Police, but the children remained elusive.
West Mercia Police’s Stuart Coote issued a stern plea to the children, urging them “to think of the dire consequences of such actions, putting themselves in extreme danger as well as those on the train”.
This July, shocking CCTV footage revealed individuals gambling with their lives at railway level crossings, mere moments before trains hurtled by.
The unprecedented video compilation captured two individuals dashing over the tracks in Kent, cyclists colliding on the rails, and people walking their dogs across the tracks seconds before a speeding train passed. It also showed youths clinging to railway safety barriers, reports the Mirror.
Network Rail has shared a video as a stark reminder for parents and children to stay alert around railways. The organisation’s community safety team has established a unique safety centre in Margate, the only one known in the UK, providing schools, clubs, and groups with interactive learning opportunities about railway safety.