Shocking footage shows the moment a reckless cyclist narrowly avoiding being hit by a high speed train.

Video captured by a train CCTV camera shows the man pedalling across tracks in Chartham, near Canterbury as the Southeastern service hurtled towards him at about 80mph, missing him by seconds.

The man can be seen crossing the tracks second before the train arrived. Video: Network Rail

The incident happened last Tuesday at the Dog Kennel foot crossing, which links Ashford Road in Chartham with a wetland area on the other side of the line.

Spotting the man on his bike, the train driver sounded his horn and was forced to apply his emergency brake, coming to a standstill just beyond the crossing.

It follows two similar incidents in August involving walkers near Sevenoaks .

Network Rail has now issued a warning to level-crossing users, revealing there were more than 300 near-misses with pedestrians and cyclists at level crossings last year alone, and two fatalities.

Fiona Taylor, Network Rail's route director for Kent, said: "This shocking incident near Canterbury is part of a small but concerning rise in such incidents in recent months and the impact had the train hit this cyclist could have been devastating to all involved.

"We all want to enjoy the outdoors but I'd ask people to be vigilant when they are anywhere near the railway and always to stop, look and listen before they cross."

Jim Maxwell, head of drivers for Southeastern, added that drivers "don't deserve the extra stress" that such incidents cause.

"Reckless trespass incidents can have a profound effect on our drivers’ mental health, and are further compounded if the driver has been unfortunate enough to have been previously involved in a fatality, with the potential to cause flashbacks," he said.

"It often means that the drivers have to take time off whilst they recover, and are supported through their ordeal.

“I fully support our colleagues at Network Rail and the British Transport Police in trying to identify and pursue the culprits.”

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