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Shocking CCTV footage shows man letting toddlers play on railway tracks as train approaches

Disturbing CCTV footage shows a man letting two children play on live railway lines while one of the toddlers exclaims: "There's a train coming!"

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The clip is among several incidents in a CCTV compilation released by Network Rail, showing people risking their lives at footpath level crossings in Worcestershire and the West Midlands.

Other incidents include youths doing one-armed push ups, dog walkers sitting their pets on the tracks for photos, and two people walking a dog across the lines just eight seconds before a high-speed train passes.

In the clip of the man letting two toddlers play on the railway lines, the man is looking at his phone while the youngest child shouts that a train is approaching.

However, the man does not move and continues to look at his phone. Network Rail says the three were caught on camera on the tracks for over a minute and a half.

The dangerous behaviour was caught on covert cameras and the footage has now been released as a safety warning to others.

Dog walkers sitting their pets on the tracks so they can take a photo. Photo: Network Rail.

Nearly 50 cases of misuse have been either reported by train drivers or caught on hidden cameras in Worcestershire and the West Midlands so far in 2023.