A train driver was forced to take emergency action after youths were spotted 'playing chicken' on a level crossing.

The group were seen dicing with death on the tracks in Yalding yesterday.

A train driver approaching the crossing was forced to apply his emergency brakes after seeing the youths ahead of him.

Police were called to the scene and have been provided with a name of one suspected member of the group.

The news comes as a new report revealed the number of crimes recorded on Britain's railways has jumped by 17% in a year - to more than 61,000.

British Transport Police says a rise in the number of violent and sexual offences has fuelled the overall increase for the 12 months to April.

The force also found nearly half of disruption to trains is down to trespassing.

DCC Adrian Hanstock, said: “The last year has been a very challenging one for our officers, who responded to multiple terrorist attacks as well as intervening almost 2,000 times with vulnerable people on the network. Despite these challenges, it is reassuring to see that the chance of becoming a victim of crime the railway network remains incredibly low.

“In the past ten years, we have seen a significant rise in the number of passenger journeys on the English, Scottish and Welsh railways. With more people than ever travelling on the network, we fully expected to see a subsequent rise in crime in some areas.

“In the last ten years, passenger journeys have increased by 828 million (35%), which means that BTP policed more than 3.2 billion individual journeys during 2017/18. Likewise, railway stations are changing, becoming entertainment and shopping venues in their own right, as a consequence the environment we police is becoming more varied and vibrant.”