Teenagers who dice with death by jumping from a railway bridge into the River Ouse are being warned they are also breaking the law.

The message from police and river officials comes after two youths were arrested after diving from Nether Poppleton Bridge on the outskirts of York.

But despite the arrests, teenagers are continuing their deadly game, climbing up an embankment to get to the bridge, which carries 125mph InterCity trains along the East Coast main line.

PC Kevin Andrews, of the British Transport Police in York, said: "These children could easily be killed. Apart from the obvious dangers of jumping 40ft into the river, they could be struck by a high-speed train.

"If a train is coming down the track, they have no choice but to jump. And if they have no time to plan their leap, they could just as easily hit a boat passing below.

"This danger arises every summer. It is a major headache for river users and sooner or later someone could be killed."The two youths arrested on the bridge now face prosecution for trespass on railway property.

But they, and other people who swim in the Ouse, also face £100 fines for breaking by-laws restricting river bathing.Bob Edwards, patrol inspector for British Waterways North-East Region condemned the activity as "foolhardy".

He warned that the water could contain hidden obstructions which would seriously injure divers and stressed that boat traffic levels meant collision was extremely likely.

"There is also no guarantee about the quality of the water and swimmers could risk picking up some virus. And if there is a risk of them drowning or getting into difficulty they will put others in danger who may jump in to try and save them."

Mr Edwards said he had received numerous complaints from rowers on the river concerned about the risk of colliding with swimmers.

"Jumping in without thinking about the risk or foolhardiness is an extremely selfish attitude and people who show this regard should be warned: we will take this matter before the courts."

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