ANYONE toying with the idea of trespassing on the railways this summer would be wise to heed the advice of PC Linda Harris.

"If you're lucky enough to get away with all your limbs intact, we'll prosecute you," said the British Transport Police spokeswoman. "It's a no-win situation."

As the height of summer approaches, with its light evenings and bored school students, train operators are bracing themselves for an increase in railway crime in the Swindon area.

Young people are the worst culprits, and First Great Western has called on parents and teachers to help them communicate the dangers of railway crime to children.

"The railway is not a playground it's an extremely dangerous place to play," said First Great Western spokeswoman Elaine Wilde. "Children simply do not realise the consequences of their actions and we are asking parents and teachers to help us get the message across don't go near the railway."

Trespassing on or near a railway line is a criminal offence, and the British Transport Police has warned that repeat offenders could end up with a criminal record. Trespass can carry a fine of up to £1,000, but intent to endanger safety, obstruct trains, or throw missiles could result in a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

But despite the warnings, teenagers continue to trespass on the tracks.

A 16-year-old youth from Wootton Bassett, who asked not to be named, said: "I have seen 13 and 14-year-old kids go on the track and run about. It's happened a few times.

"There's a game called chicken, where you run across the track in front of the train. It's very dangerous.

"People get to the track easily by the canal. They hang out down there.

"They probably know it's illegal but they just don't care. They do it for a laugh."

Trespassers have been known to throw stones and bricks at trains, or place objects such as pipes, wood, oil drums, wheelie bins and shopping trolleys on the track.

An Advertiser investigation in Wootton Bassett a known hotspot for trespassers has discovered several security weaknesses that may be making the town an easy target for troublemakers.

Network Rail, the company responsible for maintaining and securing the track, has already spent thousands of pounds putting up fences in the area.

But gaps remain, along with old fences that offer little resistance to determined trespassers. In one area of the town the Advertiser found a gate left wide-open, giving potential vandals a clear path to the tracks.

Wootton Bassett residents said rail companies should do more to beef up security.

Penny Birch, 40, of Templars Firs, once called police because she heard children playing on the tracks under a footbridge.

"There needs to be more fences and better security," said Mrs Birch. "It's too easy to get onto the track by the canal you can literally walk onto it.

"The rail companies should make it secure so children can't get on there.

"It's a serious problem kids and train tracks do not go together, and with the speed these trains go at someone could get killed, especially during the school holidays."

Network Rail has promised to look again at how security can be further improved.

But it stressed levels of railway crime in the Swindon area were falling. In the year up to May there were 78 reported incidents against 98 for the previous year.

Spokesman Callum Collins said extra fencing, CCTV and security patrols had all helped to tackle the problem.

But he said there was a limit to what could be done.

"In an ideal world we would have security fencing and CCTV all along the line, but realistically we have to target key problem areas," said Mr Collins.

"We will certainly report any gaps in security to our maintenance teams so they can be checked immediately.

"It's in all our interests to act as quickly as we can."

The Advertiser spoke to a 15-year-old boy from Wootton Bassett who admitted to having played on railway lines in the past.

He said extra fencing erected alongside the canal on the outskirts of town might be enough to deter some youths from trespassing.

But he warned others would be harder to convince.

"They know it's dangerous, but they probably put it out of their minds," he said. "They don't care it's illegal. The only thing that would stop them is if there was an accident and something serious happening to a friend."