People using railway bridge as 'dangerous shortcut'

Network Rail has issued a warning after CCTV captured people regularly using a railway bridge in the Highlands as a shortcut.

Multiple incidents, some of them involving older people or dog walkers, have been recorded a stretch of line near Dingwall where trains frequently pass through at speeds of up to 65mph.

Network Rail said people were using the bridge as a means of crossing the River Peffery between the town's Canal South and North level crossings.

It described the trespassing as "deeply concerning.

Innis Keith, of Network Rail Scotland, said: "It's extremely dangerous as trains can't stop quickly or swerve out of the way.

"A moment's misjudgement could have devastating consequences.

"Not only is trespassing dangerous, but it's also illegal."

Network Rail is working with British Transport Police (BTP) to identify the trespassers.

Ch Insp Adam Swallow, of BTP, said: "Every year, my emergency services colleagues and I are faced with the awful consequences of preventable railway accidents.

"And we don't just respond, we remember too.

"Behind every statistic is a real person - a life needlessly lost or irreversibly changed and a family left devastated."