Women branded 'unthinkably stupid' after lying down for photo on level crossing
It's one of a number of near misses recorded there in the last few months
Shocking video footage showing a woman lying down on train tracks in East Sussex to pose for photographs has been slammed by Network Rail.
The incident, recorded at Tidemills level crossing near Seaford on Monday (January 18th), is the latest of a series of incidents on the line.
A woman in a bright jacket can be seen sprawled across the rails while her companion takes pictures for around 50 seconds at around 11.30am that day.
It's led to warnings that incidents like these can have fatal, or life-changing consequences.
Jonathan Pine, British Transport Police Inspector, said:
“This is unthinkably stupid behaviour by two women clearly oblivious to the dangers of level crossings.
"Trains pass through this line at speeds of up to 70mph, so they could quite easily have been moments away from a catastrophic incident.
"We’ve seen first-hand the consequences of this sort of recklessness and no photo opportunity is worth risking your life for.”
Seventeen have taken place at the level crossing since April 1st last year - with fifteen recorded near misses.
That's compared to four incidents recorded across the whole of 2019.
Previous problems at that crossing
The dangerous behaviour at Tidemills include level crossing users filming the emergency stop of an oncoming train.
In another incident, bike users narrowly missed a train while large groups of pedestrians have also experienced close calls by trying to beat approaching trains.
Cameras have also captured a funeral procession using the crossing.
Tracy Partridge, East Sussex level crossing manager at Network Rail, said:
“We are concerned about repeated dangerous behaviour at Tidemills level crossing which follows the near misses which took place last year.
“We cannot stress enough the danger that people are placing themselves in when they don’t use a crossing safely.
"A split-second decision can have life-changing consequences, not only for those involved, but also for their family and friends, train drivers and railway workers.
“Please, never take chances when using level crossings and if you have any concerns, always contact Network Rail or British Transport Police.”