Railway vandals putting their lives on the line in Birmingham

Jun 10 2009 by Kat Keogh, Birmingham Post

Railway vandals are risking their lives by spraying graffiti in the area around Birmingham’s busiest railway junction, British Transport Police have said.

The comments come after a clean-up operation at the Proof House Junction in the city centre cost Network Rail more than £10,000 through cleaning costs and disruption of train services.

British Transport Police (BTP) joined forces with Network Rail to clean up the junction, where around 800 trains pass though every day.

Concerns were raised about the vandals’ safety after graffiti was discovered on a parapet over electrical overhead lines carrying 25,000 volts.

The offender risked falling at least 30ft on to the rails, or being electrocuted if they had fallen on to the overhead wires.

Graffiti was also discovered in places offering no refuge from approaching trains, and where vandals risked getting their feet trapped in railway points at the busy junction.

A BTP spokesman said: “The railway is an extremely dangerous environment and the risks, even to trained staff, are always present and very real.”