IN launching a campaign today in response to the deaths of two boys on a North-East railway line, it is not our intention to seek to apportion blame.

The No Messin' campaign, in partnership with Network Rail, has two main objectives: to highlight the dangers of trespassing on the railways and to promote activities and facilities for young people in the region.

The campaign has a particular focus on Darlington because the town has been identified as one of the country's hotspots for railway trespassing and vandalism.

The deaths of 15-year-old Stuart Adams and 14-year-old Lee Mullis on the outskirts of Darlington at Easter was a shocking tragedy which is yet to be fully explained.

Whatever conclusions are finally drawn from the investigation into what happened on Good Friday, the profound impact the accident has had on the local community presents an opportunity for something constructive to be born out of tragedy.

Last month, Darlington Borough Council's youth service was described as inadequate in an Ofsted report. The local authority has vowed to make improvements and so it must.

Education is at the heart of the No Messin' campaign. It is about educating young people that there are better things to do than hang around railway lines.

But it is also about adults in positions of authority learning more about the needs and aspirations of the younger generation.

If the No Messin' campaign persuades one young person to think twice before playing near a railway line, it will have been worthwhile.