Children sit on the tracks while a woman takes a picture of them in Network Rail video footage recorded on 30 August 2015. Police have appealed for help in identifying people involved in eight incidents of ‘dangerous behaviour’ at Matlock Bath station
Shocking CCTV footage shows adults and children taking selfies and posing for pictures on the railway track at Matlock Bath station, which sees more than 30 trains passing through it each day.
A group spent over eight minutes on the line ‘taking photographs and chatting’ in one of eight incidents that took place over a single day, according to Network Rail.
Inspector Eddie Carlin from British Transport Police said: ‘The photos captured are extremely worrying.
‘We are really concerned someone is going to get seriously injured or killed at the crossing.
‘Trespassing on the railway is extremely dangerous and can have tragic consequences for those involved.
‘I have had to tell devastated families that their loved ones are not coming home due to incidents such as this, and it’s heartbreaking.’
A man is seen taking a selfie
A girl pictured taking a self-portrait
Martin Brown, operations risk advisor at Network Rail, said: ‘Level crossings in rural, picturesque settings such as Matlock may look like good opportunities for a photo but the railway is not a playground.
‘Trains can come from either direction at any time and being distracted by chatting, texting or taking photographs while using the crossing significantly increases the risk of an incident.’
Inspector Carlin added: ‘The railway is a dangerous environment. Trains travel at speed and can be silent and if people are trespassing on the tracks and are distracted taking photos, selfies or texting they really are putting themselves in danger – no photo or text is worth risking your life.’
Anyone who recognises the people in the photos should call police on 0800 405040 or text 61016.
A large group of people spend eight minutes on the track
