Leigh Franks: 'Real risk of injury'

Problems with trespass and vandalism cause over �26m of damage across the UK each year.

In the area covered by rail firm Great Western, there were 1,042 incidents of rail vandalism between April 2001 and March 2002.

"There is a real risk of our drivers being injured and of the trespassers themselves being killed," said Leigh Franks, from Wales and the Borders train company.

"I think the message we would like to get across is that railways are not playgrounds.

"They are very dangerous places and people can and will get killed."

The penalties for offences can be severe with a maximum penalty for trespass being �1,000.

And anyone who obstructs the line endangering the safety of passengers could face life imprisonment.

Air ability

The timing of the operation is designed to coincide with the school holidays over Easter, as research has shown boys aged between eight and 14 are the worst offenders.

The authorities are convinced the helicopter will make a big difference in the fight against vandalism.

Mark Cleland: 'Radio contact'

"Spotting from the air gives us the ability to be over quite a wide area very quickly and see what is going on on the ground," said Railtrack's Andy Franklin.

And the helicopter will be integrated with the rest of the police force to make the most of its impact.

"We are in contact with the helicopter," said Mark Cleland from British Transport Police.

"We have got radios which we have given out to our units on the grounds.

"All our units will be patrolling the relevant areas where we are having problems with trespass and vandalism."