KEIGHLEY & Worth Valley Railway remains "plagued" by irresponsible trespassers putting their lives at risk, despite warnings to stop people straying onto the track.

The issue was raised by one of the attraction's directors, Michael Tarran, at a meeting of Keighley Public Transport Watch.

He said one of the more recent incidents, which occurred while he was driving a train, involved a man and woman walking down the middle of the world famous heritage railway's track in Keighley's Damems Junction area.

Speaking after the meeting he said: "The track bends quite sharply where this man and woman were, so you can be on top of someone before you even know they are there.

"Fortunately I'd been warned about people on the line, so I came round the bend very cautiously.

"On that same day we had two other people on the line, both wearing hoodies, walking down from the direction of the Globe Pub towards Keighley Station.

"Trespassing is an ongoing problem, and usually you can guarantee it'll happen between Keighley Station and Ingrow.

"A few months ago, near a snicket before you reach Ingrow, there were five young kids walking up the track as I was coming up from Keighley. As the train went by they proceeded to pelt it with stones.

"We'd be seen as the worst people in the world if someone did end up getting knocked down. That's always in the back of our train drivers' minds."

Mr Tarran said the trespassers often don't even take the basic precaution of walking to one side of the rails, but insist on walking down the centre of the track, wrongly treating it like a footpath.

He said they also have no idea that trains on this line can be operating at all times of day, including well into the night.

Mr Tarran said that as well as the trespassing, the railway has to contend with vandalism.

"Some months back we modified the shutters on our Damems Junction signal box, and a few weeks ago one of the shutters was vandalised," he said.

"After a visit from the railway inspectorate we spent a lot of time and money installing 'danger' signs warning of overhead power lines. Every one of these signs from Keighley to Haworth has been smashed. That's happened in the last 12 months.

"When you come up from Oakworth and go through Mytholmes there's a brick, track-side building where the track gangs would once have stored their tools. It's now covered in graffiti.

"All this damage is just unbelievably mindless, and it's very frustrating."

Speaking earlier this week Michael Westerman, chairman of Keighley Public Transport Watch, said: "The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway is not a public highway and people have to got to realise that lives could be lost.

"It was only yesterday morning that Transport Police in London found three bodies on a railway line there.

"With the K&WVR, it's quite possible for someone to be run over and be badly hurt, then lie there for hours and die of their injuries before anyone finds them."

Commenting on the vandalism, he added: "The K&WVR is a voluntary organisation and it can't be constantly spending money it doesn't have on fixing all this damage.

"It's a heritage line which brings trade into Keighley and Haworth. Do people want to lose it?"