Railway safety experts are examining new education tactics after fears emerged that children are playing 'mobile phone chicken' on North-East rail lines.
 The potentially fatal craze involves youngsters standing on rail lines and jumping out of the way of oncoming trains - while friends film them on mobile phone cameras. British Transport Police say they have reports that children are trading `train-dodging' footage - downloaded from the internet - in an area where they are also regularly seen playing on the North-East's fastest line. Last night BTP Operations Inspector Cameron Young said safety officers are now investigating how to best convey safety messages when visiting the region's schools. "It is a concern," he said. "We will now be putting plans in place to deal with kids on the railway. "We must get the safety message across that railways are dangerous." But he added the need to be cautious. "The risk is making children aware of something they haven't heard about. We don't want to start giving children ideas." BTP officers became aware of the film clips after a GNER train driver reported children on the line near Dam Dykes Crossing, in Killingworth, on May 24. The stretch is one of the region's fastest - with trains topping 100mph - and is known as a hotspot for children. BTP officers converged on the scene and Northumbria Police officers also attended. Insp Young said they had intelligence that some of the children had footage on their phones of bodies that had been mangled in rail fatalities. Insp Young said: "I'm led to believe a lot of these websites are in the US or abroad. "We can't stop what is on these websites but we will continue to target our patrols in that area." Insp Young says there is no concrete evidence that youngsters are filming each other on North-East railway lines but there is intelligence to show they have been downloading film clips from the internet. "Hopefully, they won't do it but I'm concerned about any kids on the line, regardless of whether they are taking pictures, putting obstacles on the track or throwing things at trains." | 
