A CHILD dangling from a railway bridge forced a commuter train to be halted.

An emergency stop message was sent to train drivers after bystanders contacted police when the youngsters, one of a gang, was spotted suspended above a road from the trains-only bridge in Lonsdale Street, Accrington.

The youth’s actions have been condemned by community leaders, with council leader Peter Britcliffe saying it was one of the most dangerous things he had ever heard off.

Police sent urgent messages to rail operator Northern Rail to halt trains on the line.

But Northern Rail replied they did not know whether the Blackpool to Colne train heading for the bridge could be stopped in time.

When officers reached the bridge within minutes, just after 7pm on Wednesday, the group had dispersed.

Peter Moore, chairman of Ribble Valley Rail passenger group, said that problems with pranks were becoming more common.

He said: “You have to feel for train drivers who must be fearing what they will be confronted with next.

“It’s not just children either. It’s also adults stealing from train tracks.

“You have to wonder where they get these sort of ideas from.”

Hyndburn MP Graham Jones described the youth’s action as ‘shocking’.

He said: “The fact is that if things had gone wrong a parent would go from seeing their child off out to play to identifying their body.

“We must make children realise that this sort of trespass is a death wish.”

Hyndburn Council leader Peter Britcliffe said: “It’s one of the most dangerous things I’ve ever heard of, not just trespassing on a railway line, but also the risks from the road below.”

A spokeswoman for Lancashire Constabulary said police received a report of a group of youngsters on the bridge itself with one hanging over the side.