Christmas Party WARNING: Don't end up like these drunken trains passengers - shock footage
PARTYGOERS have been warned to “keep a clear head” as they head home from Christmas parties as footage reveals drunk Brits falling onto railway tracks, with one passenger seconds away from being hit by a train.
As so-called “mad Friday” approaches, the last big Friday night before Christmas and one of the most popular for office parties, partygoers have been warned to take care on their journey home.
In the shocking CCTV footage, people can be seen stumbling onto the tracks as they attempt to make their way home.
One man, who appears to be intoxicated, can be seen stumbling back towards the tracks before he eventually falls and crashes off the platform edge.
The man was helped by a nearby passenger but struggled to get back onto the platform after his fall.
NETWORKRAIL
In another piece of CCTV footage, one man can be seen trying to sit on the platform edge before he falls onto the tracks.
In a desperate panic, the man rushes across the tracks in an attempt to get up onto the adjacent platform seconds away from being hit by a train.
One man can also be seen in the clip stumbling along the platform with his head swaying over the platform edge before he trips and falls onto the tracks.
Luckily there were no passing trains before the man was helped by a passenger who alerted staff before the emergency services arrived.
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Enjoy yourself but don’t let alcohol stop you or your fellow passengers from getting to where you need to be
Network Rail has warned partygoers to “keep a clear head” over the festive season after they recorded 7,419 alcohol-related incidents on and around the railway in 2016/17, with 16 per cent of those incidents taking place over the festive period, between 24 November and 2 January 2017.
Allan Spence, head of public and passenger safety at Network Rail, said: “Though trains are the safest way to get around, passengers and people living near the railway must always remember that it can be a dangerous place. That’s why we’re reminding the public to remain alert to those dangers whilst they’re having fun over the festive season.
“Taking a shortcut across the tracks, chancing it at level crossings or tripping at the platform edge can, at best cause delays to your journey; at worse it can result in serious harm. Enjoy yourself but don’t let alcohol stop you or your fellow passengers from getting to where you need to be – keep a clear head.”
Passengers have been warned that danger points include not heeding the warnings at level crossings, trips on the platform edge and straying onto the railway tracks.
Over the last 10 years, 21 people have been killed due to alcohol-related incidents at the platform edge and a further 91 people seriously injured.
According to the British Transport Police, there has also been a rise in violence at many of the busiest railway stations over the festive season, much of which is caused by excess alcohol.
Between 24 November 2016 and 2 January 2017, the number of violent offences reported at railway stations across England, Scotland and Wales increased by 14 per cent compared with the same period in 2015/16. Almost one in 10 of those offences involved alcohol.
Chief Inspector John Loveless said: “Unfortunately, during the festive season, we see a rise in public order offences and antisocial behaviour.
“Much of this is down to the people involved drinking too much and behaving in a way that would shock them and their family and friends if they were sober.We want everyone to get to their destination safely.
“Our officers will be out on the network helping people to enjoy the festivities safely and encouraging them to think about how alcohol can affect the way they behave and the effect this has on their fellow passengers”.
