Alcohol and the railway environment don’t mix and there are strict rules regarding drinking alcohol and working on the railway system in any type of job.

However many of the tragic deaths and injuries suffered by young people who stray on to the railways are linked to drinking alcohol and in some cases taking drugs. The ability to judge distances and speeds becomes seriously affected and this can prove fatal with trains moving at high speed and unable to stop quickly.

If British Transport Police Officers find young people drinking alcohol on stations or near tracks they have legal powers to reduce the likelihood of alcohol-related crime or disorder taking place.

• Section 27 of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 provides BTP with the power to issue a direction to a young person aged 16 years or over to leave the station or a particular locality. The direction prohibits their return to that station or locality for a specified period not exceeding 48 hours

• The Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 provides BTP with the power to disperse  groups of two or more young people of any age and with the correct authorisation to remove a young person under 16 to where they live

• The Confiscation of Alcohol (Young Persons) Act 1997 provides the BTP with the power to confiscate alcohol from any young person under the age of 18

For more detail about these powers download an extract from a Home Office publication about Section 27 of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006.

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For real life stories about the dangers of alcohol and the railways click on the icons below