CHILDREN have been warned to stop dicing with death on railway lines near Swindon.

The call from Network Rail comes after new figures showed an increase in trespass and vandalism on the town's railway tracks.

The rail authority has revealed details of 34 reported incidents on railway lines around Swindon with children accounting for more than half of the 19 people caught trespassing on tracks.

The figures were recorded over a six-month period between November and May 24 this year and included one death, one attempted suicide, four incidents of vandalism and eight incidents of trains being hit by missiles.

Hotspots in the town include Gipsy Lane, South Marston, Swindon station, Rushey Platt, Hay Lane and South Leaze.

And with seven of the crimes being committed during the Easter holidays last month, railway chiefs are worried about a similar spate being carried out over half term this week.

"What we have tended to see is a surge in the number of incidents involving young people," said Kylie Sheppard, Network Rail's railway crime education manager.

"It mainly starts in the Easter holidays and then it generally picks up throughout the summer and May half term is a known trouble hotspot. Fatalities can happen far too easily and although they don't happen that often, one fatality is one too many.

"I would really urge parents to make sure they know where their kids are and to also make sure their kids are aware of the dangers of playing near railway lines."

Of the incidents recorded on Swindon's railway lines, 27 were logged since the start of the year.

Roy Hamlin, Network Rail's general manager for the west country, said: "With the days getting lighter, it's easy to understand why children want to play outside but it's hard to understand why some risk their lives playing on dangerous railway tracks.

"We don't want any child to die as a result of playing on the railway this summer."

There are an estimated 27 million cases of trespass on Britain's railways every year, including 640,000 objects placed on the tracks and four million objects thrown at trains.

Based on the premise that many young people are tempted to play on tracks because they are bored and have nothing else to do with their time, Network Rail has developed a No Messin' campaign to encourage a diversion from unsafe activities, rather than trying to change behaviour through shock tactics.

Details of the campaign can be found by logging onto www.no-messin.co.uk, with the website offering information, entertainment and competitions.