New measures to prevent rail line crossing

British Transport Police issued a public safety appeal following the tragic death of Arron Gardner, 18, who died when taking a short-cut over the line at Bexhill Station on July 3.

They were receiving alarming reports of members of the public crossing the tracks at all hours of the day with the most popular spot being Collington.

This week special wooden cattle grids were installed by Network Rail to make it difficult to access the track from the platform and police carried out plain-clothes patrols in a bid to catch trespassers.

PC Steve Hunt said: "We'd like to catch somebody and make an example of them, as if what happened to young Arron isn't example enough.

"We have put signs up saying anybody who is caught will be prosecuted and could be fined up to 2,000."

Overall PC Hunt said the message was slowly getting across. He added: "We've not had any more reports and that would indicate that people are listening reconsidering their actions.

"It may seem simple just to hop down to trackside and walk across rather than taking an extra minute to cross the foot bridge but the consequences can and have been tragic.

"These new trains are very fast and very quiet. It's just not worth the risk."

Anyone with information on line trespassers can contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40.