THIEVES stole a motorbike and rode it along a railway line in York in a “reckless and dangerous act”.

The stolen motorbike was later found abandoned near Millfield Lane level crossing, Nether Poppleton, at about 6.30pm last Friday, police said yesterday.

Two men were spotted on the motorbike about half an hour earlier by a member of the public.

PC Nick Storey, the investigating officer at British Transport Police, said: “Officers received a report of a motorbike being stolen in the York area between 7.30pm the previous day and the time the bike was found.

“It is believed two men were seen in the area on the bike accessing the rail line via the level crossing.

“They then continued to ride up the line until it ran out of fuel, where they dumped it and ran from the area.”

The bike was recovered and officers are carrying out inquiries to try to find the culprits.

PC Storey said: “This was a reckless and dangerous act by those responsible.

“Trespass may not sound like a serious offence but, in the unforgiving environment of the railway, it can be a major safety hazard.

“Trespassers put themselves, rail staff and passengers in danger.”

York councillor Ian Gillies, who lives in Poppleton and recently raised concerns about the Millfield Lane level crossing, branded the act “totally and utterly irresponsible”.

He added: “This is foolish, not to say incredibly dangerous. They put themselves and the lives of rail passengers at risk.”

Anyone with information is asked to British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference B7/NEA of May 11, or to phone Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

York Press: The Press - Comment

Stupid acts of thrill seekers

PEOPLE do the stupidest things sometimes in the search for cheap kicks.

Today, we report how thieves stole a motorbike – then rode it along a railway line in York.

The two men abandoned the bike when it ran out of petrol, and dumped it near the Millfield Lane level crossing at Nether Poppleton.

You don’t need much of an imagination to picture what might have happened should a train have come along while they were still on the tracks.

Today, police and local politicians united to condemn the stupidity of the thieves’ behaviour.

It was a “reckless and dangerous” act, said PC Nick Storey of the British Transport Police, who is investigating.

What the men did was “totally and utterly irresponsible”, added York councillor Ian Gillies, who lives in the Poppleton area. “They put themselves and the lives of rail passengers at risk.”

Sadly, they aren’t the only ones behaving with such reckless disregard for people’s safety.

Yesterday, we reported how someone threw a brick from a bridge over the A64 near York – and it shattered the windscreen of a 44-tonne truck passing beneath. Thankfully, neither truck driver Andy Dickinson nor anyone else was injured. But the consequences could have been appalling if his lorry had veered out of control and hit other traffic.

It is deeply depressing that people continue to behave in this kind of selfish and irresponsible way just for the adrenaline rush it gives them.

We hope whoever was responsible is brought to book and made to realise the potential consequences of their actions.

If the next day they had read in this newspaper about people being killed because if their stupidity, how would they have felt?

They might have had to live with that for the rest of their lives.

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