Drones are being used to catch and stop youths firing slingshots at trains near Bishop Auckland.

Several trains travelling along the line in County Durham were damaged by projectiles being thrown at trains during a week at the start of the school summer holidays.

Train operator Northern said the behaviour was “reckless” and put passengers at risk.

Police were called in to patrol the route and used drones to track down some of the perpetrators.

It is understood they were spoken to and their personal details taken down.

British Transport Police Inspector Mary-Anne Snowden said: “Throwing objects at moving trains is hugely dangerous and an incredibly irresponsible thing to do.

“We continue to work with our industry partners to prevent incidents like these and identify those who are responsible.

“Mindless acts of vandalism like this can have potentially fatal consequences which is why we take every incident seriously.

“Drones have demonstrated their effectiveness in tackling a variety of incidents through proactive and reactive flights across the network giving officers a bird's-eye view of any criminality on the railway.”

Jason Wade, regional director for Northern, added: “We would like to thank the BTP officers who tracked down the perpetrators and stopped them from targeting our services.

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“We cannot tolerate reckless behaviour which puts the safety of our customers and train crew at risk.

"The consequences of a projectile hitting a train travelling at speed are potentially devastating."

Network Rail and Northern staff will be continuing their school visits programme to warn children about the dangers of throwing or shooting projectiles at passenger trains and trespassing on the railway in the new year.