SCHOOLCHILDREN on a Darlington estate are to be given a fresh warning of the perils of playing on railway lines, in the wake of a recent tragedy.

Teenagers Stuart Adams and Lee Mullis died on a stretch of the East Coast Main Line in Darlington on Good Friday.

Their deaths have prompted community leaders in Firthmoor to step up efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of trespassing on the tracks.

Residents who attended the community safety meeting yesterday heard that children at the estate's primary school would be the first focus of the safety message.

Norman Maltby, community projects officer for Darlington Borough Council, said a date was being organised for the talk.

He said: "It will work in tiers, from the smaller kids up to the big kids, with a really clear message going out to the younger ones and a more brutal message going to the older ones."

Concerns had been raised in the past about youngsters getting through the railway fence in Pateley Moor Crescent, Firthmoor, and trying to retrieve footballs from the line.

Chairwoman of the meeting, Councillor Lee Vasey, said better fencing could be used to prevent the problem reoccurring.

"There isn't any point putting a rivet in the fencing when the kids can just open it up," she said.