LONDON -- It seems like such an ideal spot for selfie: quiet, leafy, near the picturesque Matlock Bath railway station. The only problem is, you know, it's a live railway line and trains come thundering past all day long.
Eight different groups of people were caught taking family photos and selfies on the tracks in one day recently, and Network Rail has released the images to highlight the dangers of trackside photography.
Two people took selfies, one person ambled over the tracks on the phone, a man took a photo of a small girl and one group of people spent eight minutes snapping pics during a particularly busy day at the Derbyshire crossing on Aug. 30.
“Level crossings in rural, picturesque settings such as Matlock may look like good opportunities for a photo but the railway is not a playground," Martin Brown, operations risk advisor at Network Rail, said.
"Trains can come from either direction at any time and being distracted by chatting, texting or taking photographs while using the crossing significantly increases the risk of an incident.”
Inspector Eddie Carlin from British Transport Police said: "The photos captured are extremely worrying. We are really concerned someone is going to get seriously injured or killed at the crossing."
"Trespassing on the railway is extremely dangerous and can have tragic consequences for those involved. I have had to tell devastated families that their loved ones are not coming home due to incidents such as this and it's heartbreaking."
"The railway is a dangerous environment. Trains travel at speed and can be silent and if people are trespassing on the tracks and are distracted taking photos, selfies or texting they really are putting themselves in danger."
