CHILDREN in Sankey are dicing with death by using a train track as a playground - and anxious residents fear there is little they can do to stop them.

Gangs of children as young as six years old are putting their lives on the line every day by wandering through a rat infested stream, then scaling walls and railings and climbing on to the tracks.

Worried Daniel Daly, who lives behind the track on Roby Grove, says he has even heard children boasting that they can feel oncoming trains sucking them in.

Mr Daly voiced his fears for the children following the tragic death of eight-year-old Heather Foster, who was electrocuted on a railway line in Aigburth two weeks ago.

"We're terrified," he said. "I don't want to have to pull a child off the line. Every day I can hear gangs of children on the track.

"They're putting stones on the tracks, police were even called there after two car batteries were dumped on the line.

"Someone is going to get killed or a train will get derailed. I just want these children to know how stupid their actions are."

Newsagent Bob Clayton agrees. He has lived near the track for 13 years and can see children playing on the line. He said: "It's the attraction of the railway and the water, kids will always be drawn to it.

"By the time police get there, they've gone away. There's nothing Railtrack or the council can do."

Railtrack officials insist every care is taken to ensure tracks are safe. Fences near the Sankey Station are regularly maintained, and, by blocking off the stream, they would run the risk of flooding nearby land.

Keith Lumley, spokesman for Railtrack, said: "We have launched an awareness campaign and have sent drivers to schools, giving out leaflets and warning of the dangers, but children will still play on lines and adults will still use them as a short cut.

"The message from us is stay safe and stay away. But even after a fatal incident people do not learn."

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