RAIL campaigners are warning that lives are being put at risk as vandals tear down freshly-printed notices warning against trespassing on the revived Northallerton to Redmire line.

They fear it could be only a matter of time before someone is killed or seriously injured because the diesel multiple unit which will operate the first time-tabled passenger services from Leeming Bar to Leyburn for almost 50 years next Friday is now making increasingly regular crew training runs at unannounced times.

Wensleydale Railway volunteers have spent the last few weeks fixing notices at level crossings and other prominent public places explaining why it is a dangerous offence to trespass on the 22-mile line, adding that there is a maximum penalty of £1,000.

The notices reinforce the message sent out seven years ago by Railtrack when Army trains began running after the line had been mothballed following the loss of daily limestone traffic in 1992.

John King, a Wensleydale Railway volunteer and retired British Transport Police officer, is also visiting schools in an attempt to get the message across to children.

But company safety director, Mark Flather, said on Monday that only that day he had caught an older teenager walking on the line while the crew training run was taking place.

Mr Flather said: "I knew where the train was and shouted at him to come back but he ran away.

"I jumped in the car and went up the road to the next crossing and caught him as he approached, when he was given a strong warning.

"He was walking towards the point where the train was coming from and he was only five minutes away from it coming straight at him."

Mr Flather said he was disturbed to find that warning notices were being torn down. "I know of at least four that have gone, and I can only assume that it is being done by disgruntled trespassers who can no longer walk on the railway, but it won't stop the trains running.

"We don't want to persecute dog walkers or other local people, but want to keep them safe by keeping them off the railway.

"Tearing down notices and posters only puts other people's lives at risk, because they won't be aware of the warnings."

An automatic level crossing at Aiskew, on the busy A684 between Bedale and Leeming Bar, has been commissioned again after lying dormant for ten years. So far Army trains have been guided over the crossing by representatives of Jarvis, the rail engineering company, with red flags.

The crossing, installed in 1985, has a preliminary audible warning of an approaching train, but a Wensleydale Railway volunteer has been checking that the newly-restored flashing red lights can be clearly seen by road users.

Mr Flather said: "The red lights indicate that a train is coming and in this case, unlike the situation at Northallerton, it takes a train probably less than a minute to go over the crossing, so trying to jump the red lights is pointless.

"We have been instructed by Her Majesty's inspector of railways that if we know of anyone jumping the red lights we should try to record their registration number and send it to British Transport Police."

Mr Flather added: "As for trespassing on the line, if it is a repeated offence we will try to ascertain their name and send it to British Transport Police for a possible prosecution. They have promised that they will be on the line from time to time."

An Army train carrying equipment back to Catterick Garrison is expected to run to the Redmire railhead on Tuesday.