RAILTRACK last night claimed there was a backlog of up to 15 years of potentially lethal junk left by the side of Britain's railway lines.

The admission follows an investigation by The Northern Echo highlighting the problem of trackside materials, such as old rail and sleepers, which could be used by vandals to derail the trains.

But it brought scorn from safety campaigners, who said the beleaguered company was making excuses to dodge its responsibilities.

The claim coincided with the release of industry safety figures by the Railway Safety Group for the period April 2001 to March 2002.

It said that, although serious train accidents were down by 30 per cent on the previous year, the biggest single threat to the railways remained obstructions and vandalism.

The Northern Echo asked Railtrack representatives about its timetable for clearing trackside junk, at a meeting of the Health and Safety Commission's Railway Industry Advisory Committee, in York.

John Abbott, director of assurance and safety at Railtrack, said: "There is a backlog of this material going back some ten or 15 years.

"We cannot do all this work at once and have to prioritise sometimes.

"Where areas such as trespass and vandal hotspots are involved, the public should be assured they are given the highest priority."

But former British Rail manager Peter Rayner, who writes extensively on rail safety issues, countered: "Railtrack are making excuses in my view and attempting to confuse this issue.

"If there is a problem, it is not solely because of what has gone in the past.

"The answer lies with Railtrack planning jobs better and giving contractors sufficient time to clear up behind them.

"They are saving money by giving the railway back quicker to the train operating companies when engineering work has been done."

North Durham MP Kevan Jones repeated calls for Railtrack to speed up work on removing trackside rubbish, which can include items dumped by the public, ranging from shopping trolleys to bedding.

Mr Jones said he would be writing to Railtrack and attempting to lodge parliamentary questions over the issue.

He said : "The idea that there is ten to 15 years worth of this material, whether true or not, should be ringing alarm bells."

Concern about trackside junk has been heightened by the continuing problem of trespassers gaining access.

Last month, youths broke on to a stretch of line on the outskirts of Darlington and threw objects at passing trains, injuring a driver.

An Arriva Trains Northern driver, who did not want be named, said: "We see people on the side of the line every day who can easily pick stuff up to throw or place objects on the track. It is widespread.

"We don't bother reporting it, though, because nothing gets done."