THE country's railway authorities are pleading with parents and carers in Helensburgh to talk to children and young people about the dangers of trespassing on the tracks.

Every year there's a rise in trespass incidents around this time of year when the clocks go forward and the evenings get lighter – and with schools across Scotland and the UK closed for the foreseeable future, and a reduced passenger train service on many routes, Network Rail and the British Transport Police (BTP) say the temptation to stray on to the tracks could be even greater this year.

From April 2018 to April 2019, 1,375 trespass incidents were recorded in Scotland, with 373 of these involving youths.

BTP embedded inspector Alison Evans said: “We are continuing to proactively patrol the thousands of miles of railway network we police across Scotland.

READ MORE: ScotRail changes Helensburgh train times as passengers are told 'don't travel if you don't need to'

"Safety is our number one priority; we’re asking that we all speak to the young people in our lives and make them aware of the importance of rail safety, so that they understand that everyone loses when you step on the track.”

Important safety messages to share with children include:

• The rail network is never switched off. Electricity powers the overhead cables 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

• The rail network does not go to sleep once the last passenger services have run. Freight trains run all through the night.

• Never anticipate that you know when the next train is due. The reduced number of passenger trains running on the network during the day will allow more freight services to operate during the daytime hours, transporting vital goods around the country at speeds of up to 100mph.

READ MORE: 'Thank you for all that you're doing': pandemic praise for people in Helensburgh and across Argyll and Bute

British Transport Police and Network Rail run a hard-hitting safety campaign – You Vs Train, which highlights the devastating consequences of trespassing on the railway.

With the early closure of schools, parents have the opportunity to sign up for free online tutorials of the You vs Train railway safety lessons, which are normally broadcast into schools via Network Rail’s educational partner LearnLive.

Visit learnliveuk.com/trespass-awareness-week/ for more details.

Further information on rail safety can be found at www.youvstrain.co.uk.

READ MORE: Click here for all the latest news headlines from across Helensburgh and Lomond