Police expect rise in booze-fuelled violence across UK rail network over Christmas

Police are expecting a rise in booze-fuelled violence across the UK's rail network over the Christmas period.

Violent crime at busy UK stations spiked during last year’s festive period, police said as officers issued a warning over alcohol-related incidents.

British Transport Police said that the number of violent offences reported at railway stations across England, Scotland and Wales between November 24 last year and January 2 increased by 14 per cent compared with the same period in 2015/16.

Almost one in 10 of those offences involved alcohol.

A statement released by the force said: "According to BTP, there is also a rise in violence at many of the busiest railway stations over the festive season, much of which is caused by excess alcohol."

Chief Inspector John Loveless, from BTP, branded the levels of violence “shocking” and said: “Unfortunately, during the festive season, we see a rise in public order offences and antisocial behaviour. Much of this is down to the people involved drinking too much and behaving in a way that would shock them and their family and friends if they were sober.

“If you’re using the railway to get around this Christmas, please keep a clear head. Think about what you would do and how you would behave if you were sober. There is no excuse for spoiling other people’s journeys or behaving any differently because you’ve drunk alcohol. We want you to have fun but it’s more important to get where you’re going safely.”

Police also revealed that hundreds of festive revellers were injured in alcohol-related accidents on the railway over the Christmas period last year.

Around 1,180 people were hurt on or around tracks after drinking between November 24 last year and January 2, statistics from the Rail Safety and Standards Board showed.

Over the past five years passengers boarding and alighting trains were involved in 469 alcohol-related accidents.

Over the past 10 years, 21 people were killed in alcohol-related incidents at the platform edge and a further 91 seriously injured.

Alcohol-related incidents accounted for 16 per cent of all injuries recorded on the railway in the year from January 2016, statistics showed.

The shocking statistics were released on Tuesday amid the launch of a campaign by BTP, Network Rail and RSSB urging revellers to “keep a clear head” around the railway.

Allen Spence, head of public and passenger safety at Network Rail, said many of the incidents involved people who lived close to railway lines cutting across tracks and ignoring warnings at level crossings.

He said: “Taking a short cut across the tracks, chancing it at level crossings or tripping at the platform edge can, at best cause delays to your journey; at worse it can result in serious harm. Enjoy yourself but don’t let alcohol stop you or your fellow passengers from getting to where you need to be – keep a clear head.”

BTP and Network Rail will hold alcohol awareness events at stations across London throughout the festive season.