CHILDREN have today been warned to stay away from the railway after a group were narrowly missed by a freight train.A horrified driver alerted British Transport Police at 9pm on Tuesday after a near miss with eight youngsters playing 'chicken' on the track near Elmswell.

CHILDREN have today been warned to stay away from the railway after a group were narrowly missed by a freight train.

A horrified driver alerted British Transport Police at 9pm on Tuesday after a near miss with eight youngsters playing 'chicken' on the track near Elmswell.

Sergeant Bob Munn, of the BTP, warned parents their next knock on the door could be from one of his officers if they did not control their children.

He said: "We want to ask parents 'where are your children, are they where you think they are?'

"Will the next knock on the door be your child coming home, or will it be one of my officers bearing bad news?

"We consider trespass to be serious, but when it's children we are more concerned and when the track is being used as a playground is concerns us greatly.

"If you're hit by a train you don't get a second chance, you've had it.

"Even if they are not hit, it's very traumatic for the driver."

Anglia Railways spokesman Peter Meades said Elmswell had been a problem area in the past, but normally in the summer months.

He said: "Any form of deliberate trespass is extremely dangerous, both for anyone trespassing and the crew and passengers on the train.

"We condemn it and we work very closely with the British Transport Police and Network Rail to try and clamp down on it.

"We also have a small number of train drivers who visit schools to pass on how dangerous it is.

"Our staff remain vigilant at all times.

"We have had difficulties around Elmswell before, but not for a long while.

"It does surprise me it was 9pm on a cold January night. Normally these things happen when the clocks go forward and in the school holidays."