A teenager narrowly escaped electrocution after overhead power cables crashed down beside him as he waited for a train.

The 16-year-old was standing on a platform at Baildon Station when a gang of youths threw lengths of copper wire onto the power cables as a train approached.

As the power lines short-circuited there was a giant flash and one of the supporting wires fell to the ground scorching the teenager's trousers and bag but miraculously leaving him unhurt.

The on-coming train was completely disabled as the copper wires got caught in the pantograph - its overhead electric connector.

British Transport Police officer Sergeant Michael Wilson said: "The young lad was extremely lucky he did not receive any serious injuries and so were the other three passengers who were on the platform.

"It is quite possible the teenager could have been killed if the wires had touched him. This was an extremely dangerous act which could have resulted in passengers being severely injured or worse."

Sergeant Wilson said the attack, which happened around 3.35pm yesterday, caused serious delays with no trains running from Leeds or Bradford to Ilkley until nearly two hours later.

Even then trains from Bradford had to be diverted via Apperley Bridge.

He added: "The youths responsible ran from a waiting room throwing the wire onto the cables and running off. This is endangering the safety of persons on the railway and carries a maximum penalty of a life sentence. We are investigating the incident and would like to hear from anyone who witnessed it or who could help us in anyway possible. All calls will be treated in the strictest confidence."

An electrical team fixed the broken cables around 9pm last night and the undamaged train was expected to be taken away for safety checks.

Anyone who witnessed the incident should call the British Transport Police on free phone 0800 405040.

Tim Patchett, proprietor of the British Rubber Company which is based behind Baildon Station, said: "All we heard was an enormous bang which sounded like thunder. We ran round to the station and you could seen the wire hanging over the top of the train and on to the platform.

"What they did was appalling. It was a lucky escape for everybody but if there'd been a platform full of people there could have been 20 or 30 fatalities."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.