Rail show-off 'lucky to be alive'

The youth placed the ramp on to the live rail after throwing it on to tracks

A youth who dragged a metal ramp on to a live rail was inches away from death, according to police.

CCTV images show the boy being showered with sparks after he put the object on the 750 volt line at Addlestone railway station in Surrey.

British Transport Police who released the images as a warning to others said the youngster could have been killed.

The boy who was accompanied by two others also emptied a rubbish bin on to the tracks in the early hours.

British Transport Police said the metal ramp, used to assist wheelchair-bound passengers on to trains, was melted by the electrical current during the incident in May.

'Killed or injured'

Schools liaison officer Graham Cottington said: "This incident shows clearly the lengths that youths will go to in order to prove themselves and show-off in front of their friends.

"The youth, clearly not content with throwing things on to the track, then risked his life by placing the ramp directly on to the third rail.

"The footage shows him engulfed in a shower of sparks. It's extraordinary that he was not killed or injured. The high voltage actually melted the ramp.

"Even though trains were not running through the station, the electricity current on the railway is live 24 hours a day seven days a week."

He added: "As we near the end of the summer holidays, it is important that the message is reinforced to young people to stay off the railway line."