LONDON — Police said Thursday they caught three boys, all under the age of 10, building a barricade on a high speed railway line between two major cities, reports a wire service.
The boys, aged 6, 7 and 9, piled tires, tree trunks, traffic cones, concrete tiles and a shopping cart on a line between Liverpool and Manchester, both in England’s northwest. Passenger trains on the line usually hit speeds up to 80 mph (130 kph).
A member of the public, who alerted police, took pictures of the young vandals as they built the barricade on June 27.
Police removed the debris and no trains were affected.
“I shudder to think of the consequences of youngsters playing in such a dangerous environment,” said Chief Inspector Peter Holden of British Transport Police.
“And then there’s the consequences of a train hitting the barricade. A train would have come off the track and potentially caused fatalities and injuries.”
The boys are too young to be prosecuted, but police said they had contacted parents and the boys’ schools.