BRITAIN: They are aged just six, seven and nine years old and had they not been stopped, dozens of people could have died in yet another British rail disaster.
British Transport Police yesterday published these photographs, taken last month by a member of the public. They show the three children constructing a barricade across the main railway line linking Liverpool and Manchester, along which up to four trains pass hourly at speeds of up to 80 miles per hour.
In the event, however, police managed to dismantle the barricade before any trains passed.
Chief Insp Peter Holden said yesterday: "It's extremely shocking. I shudder to think of the consequences of youngsters playing in such a dangerous environment. "And then there's the consequences of a train hitting the barricade. A train would have come off the track and potentially caused fatalities."
The three children were detained but because they are below the age of criminal responsibility they cannot be prosecuted. A police spokesman said: "Liaison has been maintained with the relevant youth offending teams, the children's parents and their schools."
Jarvis, the company maintaining the track at Potters Bar where a crash on May 10th caused the deaths of seven people, had suggested after the crash that vandalism or sabotage might have played a part in the accident. But a report said missing nuts and points were not in proper condition.