Police caught teens playing on the railway line at Upwey station

Dorset Police were called at 3.40pm on Wednesday by a concerned member of the public who had seen children playing on the railway line at Upwey station.

Officers attended and found four young people, three boys aged 14, 15 and 17, and a girl aged 15.

Weymouth and Portland police said their details were taken and passed onto the British Transport Police (BTP), which polices the railway, so an investigation can take place.

It is the second incident where children have been caught playing on train tracks in less than a week.

A member of the policing team posted about the trespassing online saying: "Not only is this behaviour completely reckless and potentially fatal but it severely disrupts the rail network.

"We will be working closely with the British Transport Police to deal with those responsible. This is the second such reported incident in a week and such behaviour will not be tolerated."

Officers are urging parents and carers to ensure they know what their children are up to when they are not at home.

The incident comes after police were called last Saturday to reports of youths playing on railway tracks under the bridge at Spa Road in Weymouth.

They were found and returned to safety without coming to harm, but officers warned that the Weymouth line is electrified and that they had put themselves in "great danger." Details of those involved were also passed onto BTP.

Trespassing on the railway is illegal and dangerous – as well as the risk of being hit by trains, the third rail which powers the Weymouth-Waterloo services carries 750 volts of electricity, and touching it will result in severe injury or death.

As reported in the Echo, BTP figures show in the last decade almost 170 people have lost their lives trespassing on the railway in Britain, and nearly half of those killed were under the age of 25.

If you see someone trespassing on the railway call British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40, text 61016 or dial 999.