Following a trespassing incident near Clapham Junction station last month, a man has been jailed.

On the 10th September at around 6:30 pm, Anthony Andre, aged 42, decided to trespass on the tracks by the station.

While he was quickly removed from the tracks and arrested, in order to ensure his safety, the power to the electric rail was switched off.

This rail powers trains throughout the Clapham area, and while it was switched off, 38 trains were cancelled or partially cancelled as a result. This equates to 3,427 minutes of delays to passengers during rush hour.

Since the incident, he was remanded in custody and appeared in court on the 12th September. He pleaded guilty to the charges and has been sentenced to eight weeks in prison.

While this incident only resulted in delays and no harm came to the man, Network Rail and British Transport Police are reminding people of the dangers of trespassing, particularly where there are powered lines.

Earlier this year, they released a series of short films on the topic.

“Trespassing on the railway is incredibly dangerous. Trains in the south east are powered by the electric rail, which carries 750 volts and easily enough to kill or cause devastating life-changing injuries.

“We hope this sentence sends a message that trespassing on the railway will not be tolerated. Anthony Andre is lucky to be walking away with a prison sentence, as it could have ended in tragedy. His actions not only put his own life at risk, but caused huge disruption for thousands of passengers trying to get home, or to see friends and family. We work hard every day to keep people safe and trains running. Incidents like this are a stark reminder of how quickly things can go wrong, and why we always take trespass so seriously.”

Speaking on behalf of Network Rail, Southern Railway and South Western Railway, Paul Langley, Head of Security, Crime and Resilience