More than half of all accidents on the railways are caused by acts of arson and vandalism, according to new figures.

The Health and Safety Executive says trespassers pose a serious risk to the railways.

But its report also suggests that, in general, rail safety is improving - although the figures do not include the Potters Bar crash in May which claimed seven lives.

Deaths by trespass and suicide were down 9% and other fatalities reduced by 18%, in the12 months up to March 2002 .

The Potters Bar derailment in May, in which seven people died, is a reminder that we cannot afford to be complacent Alan Osborne HSE rail safety director

But vandalism and arson continue to be a problem, with more than half of accidents caused by deliberate damage, and the same fraction of fires caused with intent.

The figures showed that for the period April 2001 to March 2002:

• there were no train incidents causing multiple deaths
• fatalities (excluding trespassers and suicides) were down from 39 to 32 on the previous year
• 275 members of the public died as a result of trespass and suicide, down 9%
• three children died trespassing, down 7 and the lowest figure on record
• total injuries to passengers and staff were down 8%
• total train incidents fell by 5% from 1,801 to 1,704
• the number of signals passed at danger (SPADs) on Railtrack network fell 8% from 475 to 436
• the number of broken rails was down by 23% from 729 to 560
• deaths at level crossings rose from 9 to 11
• four track workers were killed, up two from 2000
• 13 prosecutions for breaches of health and safety law were concluded, with fines totalling �469,000

HSE's new rail safety director Alan Osborne said: "Overall, this report confirms that the safety record of the railways continues to improve, with progress in a number of key areas.

"The Potters Bar derailment in May, in which seven people died, is a reminder that we cannot afford to be complacent.

"Nevertheless, there were improvements in 2001-02 - and these were against a significant rise in passenger and freight mileage."

He went on: "It is only through better co-operation, co-ordination and communication by all players that we will see improvements in prioritising and tackling the high risk areas."