A RAIL worker who photographed a child lying with his head over the edge of a Trowbridge Station platform hopes people will refrain from acts such as this.

Network Rail employee, Tim Brown, was heading back to Birmingham on Saturday afternoon after a day of walking at the Salisbury Plain when he saw a young boy lying with his head over the edge of the platform. His father, Ian Stanton, looked on unperturbed.

Mr Brown told Mr Stanton that this was extremely dangerous as trains can whizz through at speeds between 60-90mph. He was told that ‘the train’s not due’. After taking the photo, which has gone viral, the 44-year-old happened to meet Mr Stanton again on the train to Bristol, where he was accused of being a ‘do gooder’.

Mr Brown, who has reported this to the British Transport Police, Network Rail and Great Western Railway, described the incident as ‘absolutely unbelievable’.

“Tragedies can and have happened in incidents like this. We want to make sure that that never happens and by raising awareness of this growing issue, hopefully we can do that,” said Mr Brown to the Wiltshire Times.

“Trains were being diverted through Westbury on that day, meaning they could come through at any moment. I would estimate trains could come through the Trowbridge station at 60mph or more. The man called me a do gooder and that the lad just wanted to look at the track.

“We just need to have a bit of common sense and think for five seconds. I travel a lot by train and I think this is getting worse.”

Mr Stanton said his inquisitive six-year-old son Devon wanted to pick up a stone or a piece of wood from the track as a treasure. He added that he could see direction the trains were coming from and his son was not in danger.

A BTP spokesman said: “A 46-year-old man voluntarily contacted police and was interviewed under caution in relation to this incident. Our investigation is on-going.”