A HARD-hitting drama about the dangers of trespass and vandalism on the railway network aims to keep youngsters on the right track.

More than 1,000 secondary school pupils from Bolton have been invited to watch a performance of "I Dare You" at the Albert Halls, next month.

Rail operator Railtrack decided to stage the production in Bolton because of its high numbers of trespass and vandalism incidents on railway lines in the area.

The play, performed by the Figment Theatre Company, is being staged by Railtrack North West as part of its ongoing campaign to deter young children from risking their lives and those of others, by straying on to or damaging railway property.

"I Dare You," set beside an urban railway line, tells the story of how peer pressure within a gang of teenage boys and girls leads to more serious behaviour which has an increasing effect on the railway, eventually resulting in tragedy.

Director of Railtrack North West, Chris Leah, said: "Our aim is to use the powerful medium of drama to educate young children in a thought-provoking way to show how railway crime can lead to tragic consequences."

According to British Transport Police figures for 1995/96 there were more than 1,500 reported offences of railway crime in the Manchester area, each with the potential for ending in serious injury or death.

The statistics also show that for the same period in the North-west there were more than 30,000 cases of trespass, 818 reported incidents of stone throwing at trains and 374 occasions when obstacles were placed on the tracks.

The Health and Safety Executive's annual report on railway safety show that more than 244 people, seven being children under 16 years of age, were killed while trespassing on the railway in 1995/96 - the last year for which figures were available.

David Anderson of Graphic Ad, the Leeds-based firm who produced the play, said: "By facing children with these and the possible consequences of their actions in a dramatic way, it hopefully influences them to make balanced decisions about their future."

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