Incidents of animals trespassing on Britain’s railways are recorded around four times per day on average, new figures show.
Network Rail said there were 1,432 reports of creatures intruding onto rail lines in the 12 months to the end of March.
Deer, which tend to live in rural, forested areas which are often alongside the railway, topped the list of animal trespassers with 349 incidents during the year.
They were followed by sheep (177), birds (172), cows (143) and swans (143).
Rail trespassing is 13 times more likely to be carried out by people than animals, with the former responsible for more than 19,300 incidents over the same period.
Network Rail operations chief Helen Hamlin said: “Trespassing on the railway is a serious offence that causes delays to thousands of trains every year and can be very costly for people – causing death and life-changing injuries due to the railway’s many hidden dangers.
“This summer, when we see trespass at its peak, our message is clear whoever you are – child, adult, dog walker, holidaymaker or beast – stay off the tracks.”
In May last year, Network Rail and train operator LNER launched a trial of an automated deer deterrent system along a mile of track between Peterborough and Grantham on the East Coast Main Line.
This harnesses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify when a deer approaches the tracks, activating audible and visual alarms.
The system has deterred nearly 6,000 deer from accessing the railway.
🐢Is anybody missing a tortoise? This little guy seems to have sh-eloped from his owners and made it to Southend. He's now safely shell-tering with ticket office staff! pic.twitter.com/EAZCYupXLv
— c2c Rail (@c2c_Rail) August 15, 2024
Another operator, c2c, posted a video on social media last week showing a tortoise walking along the tracks at Southend Central station.
The tortoise, named Tony, was rescued by rail workers before being collected by his owner, who said he had been missing from home for a fortnight.
