BRITISH Transport Police officers are investigating footage of young men riding bicycles along live tracks at a rural train station.

CCTV footage taken by a station resident at Adisham, near Canterbury, shows two bikes being ridden along tracks and one rider avoiding a potentially fatal fall on a live rail.

David Orchard said: "I could not believe my eyes. In 16 years here this is the most shocking and stupid act I have seen.

"At one point one of the riders fell and the bike ended up on the live rail. I expected a flash and a dead body."

The men are described as foreigners in their late teens, possibly working locally.

They had been at the station for three hours before the daredevil rides at about 9.30pm on Saturday.

Mr Orchard passed on the CCTV footage to British Transport Police at Ashford who confirmed they are investigating the incident.

Kent Police confirmed officers attended the scene but the men had gone.

A Network Rail spokesman said: "These trespassers are literally playing with their lives and are extremely lucky to have escaped this incident unhurt.

"Last year alone there were almost 50 people killed and hundreds more injured trespassing on the railway either crossing tracks, taking short cuts, messing around or playing chicken."