British Transport Police and Bradford's Youth Offending Team are uniting in a campaign to stop young people trespassing on railway lines.

The group's main priority is to get the message across to young people that damaging equipment, trains or simply going on the railways puts both themselves and others in immediate danger.

A fortnight ago the Keighley News revealed the extent of vandalism problems on the Airedale line, where children as young as five have been targeting trains.

As part of the new partnership, two British Transport Police officers will be attached to the Bradford district's Youth Offending Team throughout August, and will work with any young people referred to the team after being caught on the railways.

It is the first time the force has become so actively involved with any youth offending team anywhere in Britain.

The two officers will also attend summer schemes run by the council's youth service in Keighley, Frizinghall and West Bowling, to raise awareness about the dangers of trespassing and vandalism on the railways.

Surveys show that nationally there are 27 million cases of trespass on the railway each year and of these, ten million are committed by young people aged between 11 and 16 years old.

Insp Jane Kitchen, of the British Transport Police, said: "The next time an announcement is made that your train is late due to problems on the track, it is quite possibly due to an incident of trespass or vandalism.

"Trespass and vandalism are a significant threat to rail safety. Nationally last year 602 drivers' cab windows were broken due to stone throwing and 236 serious obstructions were placed on the track, a large number of which were capable of causing a derailment. Last year 124,549 minutes of delays to passenger trains were due to vandalism.

"In the North East area, during the last financial year, British Transport Police officers achieved a reduction in offences. We want to build on those good results during the current year, reducing incidents even further," said Insp Kitchen.

"We believe one way of achieving this is by working in partnership, not only with the rail companies, but also with the local community.

"The railways are an integral part of the communities through which they run and should not be seen in isolation. People who commit crime on the railways are just as likely to be committing crime within the local community."

The Youth Offending Team is a partnership between the council, police, probation and health services.

Bradford Council leader Councillor Margaret Eaton said: "Young people need to know the dangers of trespassing on railways and the harm they can cause themselves and others.

"We're pleased to be supporting this positive and imaginative initiative, which demonstrates the value of both the private and public sector working together for the benefit of the community."

The funding for the scheme has been provided by various organisations, including Railtrack and the Health and Safety Executive.