East Midlands Railway (EMR) and the British Transport Police (BTP) urgently seek witnesses to help them track down the perpetrators who dangerously threw heavy objects at trains near Allsops Bridge, Loughborough.

Some items in question are large and are believed to have been stolen from skips at a nearby building site with some of these objects causing serious damage to trains.

The incidents which took place across two separate days earlier month have involved a scooter being thrown from the bridge, which caused damage to the front of a train as it passed on Monday February 3rd.

On Sunday 16th and Monday 17th February, more serious events unfolded when people threw heavy rocks from the bridge.

Some landed within the four foot of a running train line, and one smashed the top right corner of train 2L18’s windscreen; the train was carrying passengers at the time.

These events are highly dangerous and endanger the life’s not just EMR staff but the passengers onboard as well.

These incidents have affected 21 trains and have led to 215 minutes’ worth of delays to train services.

If anyone way has been a witness to any of these events, they are urgently requested to contact the British Transport Police by text using 61016 or by phoning 0800 40 50 40.

“These acts are not pranks or a bit of harmless fun, but incredibly dangerous crimes that put customers and staff at serious risk of injury or worse. They also lead to trains being damaged, delayed, and services being cancelled.

Even though we are putting measures in place to help address the issue, the public can also play a really important role. If they see any items being thrown at trains or someone placing objects on the track, they should contact British Transport Police by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40.”

Danielle Clarke, Community Safeguarding and Security Manager at East Midlands Railway

“These acts of vandalism not only put lives at serious risk but also cause significant disruption to our rail network.

We work closely with train operators like EMR and British Transport Police to prevent such incidents and catch those responsible. We urge anyone who witnesses suspicious behaviour on or around our railways to report it immediately.

The safety of passengers and railway staff is our top priority, and we will not tolerate actions that compromise this.”

Dan Matthews, Head of Operations Delivery for Network Rail

Unfortunately this type of vandalism is on the rise, with other items being thrown at trains in Cambridgeshire back in January and on the Northern Rail network last summer. This is the second major incident involving missiles being thrown at trains on the Midland Main Line in the space of the last six months.