Network Rail has announced that they have identified the Bridgend area as an area that experiences repeat incidents of anti-social behavior and trespass.
Network Rail, the British Transport Police, and Transport for Wales are calling on those involved to understand the risks and consequences involved in taking part in such activities.
Repeat locations are monitored every four weeks throughout the year.
The latest figures highlight that in the last twelve months, the following railway stations (please see additional note below) have some of the highest numbers of recorded incidents.
They are:
- Pyle – 21 incidents (Bridgend County Borough)
- Bridgend – 19 incidents (Bridgend County Borough)
- Pencoed – 16 incidents (Bridgend County Borough)
- (56 incidents in total in the Bridgend County Borough boundary)
What did the officials say?
Bill Kelly, Network Rail's route director for Wales and Borders, said:
“The railway network is not a place where anyone should ever consider trespassing. It is a very dangerous place to be which can have catastrophic implications for those involved, for the passengers on the trains and for our staff who work the network. The dangers of trespassing may seem obvious, but there are also many hidden dangers present on the railway.
“I urge anyone involved in this activity to cease immediately to avoid any serious consequences. I also call on the adult community, who sometimes cross our railways to make their exit from a station a seemingly quicker offering, to stop this immediately and exit all stations in the appropriate and safe manner. Many young people look up to adults to set an example and if they see adults casually trespassing on the railway then it's logical that this will send them the absolutely wrong message about this activity.”
Transport for Wales Security Manager Simon Turton said:
“It's so important that people treat the railway with respect and understand the devastating consequences of trespassing on the tracks and anti-social behaviour.
“Whether it be people taking a short cut or simply messing around, please just think ‘is it really worth risking losing life or limb over?'.
Not every train stops at every station; some are fast services coming through at speed while we also see freight traffic coming through our stations and modern trains which are incredibly quiet, so you should never, ever assume it is safe to go onto the track.
We work closely with Network Rail and British Transport Police to cut down on these incidents, but we need the public's support too because none of us want to see anyone get hurt on the railway.”
Inspector Michael Edwards from British Transport Police added:
“We're on hand in the region 24/7 to disrupt and investigate any reports of trespass and anti-social behaviour. The railway is a highly dangerous environment and anyone seeking to trespass on the lines is not only committing an offence, they're risking their lives. If you witness anything contact BTP by texting 61016 or call 0800 40 50 40. In an emergency always call 999.”
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So Bridgend in South Wales is a hotspot for trespassing & anti-social. Has anything done to stop the trespassing & Anti-social from happening at that location. I thought Network Rail and Bridgend Council were going to prevent it from happening.
The term ‘treat with respect’ is the key…it seems more and more folk in our society lack respect for anything, including themselves: Why put yourself in harms way for no good reason, or treat other’s property wrongly? I have spent most of my life wondering what goes on in some people’s heads. With regard to trespass, magistrates need to toughen up the penalties for those caught. A sad situation.