A SPY in the sky helicopter is to be used to patrol East Lancashire's rail network in a bid to combat vandalism and trespass.

Lancashire Police and British Transport Police have joined forces on the initiative, codenamed 'Network', which starts today to coincide with school holidays.

The Lancashire police helicopter will be used to monitor crime hotspots on the rail network and any problems spotted from the air will be relayed to rapid response units on the ground.

During 2000-2001 there were 437 incidents of trespass and vandalism in Lancashire, which meant that trains were delayed for a total of more than 200 hours.

And East Lancashire is one of the worst areas in the North West for incidents of vandalism.

Inspector John Vernon, of British Transport Police, said there is a problem with rail crime throughout Lancashire.

"People committing acts of vandalism, putting obstructions in front of trains, throwing missiles at trains, as well as people trespassing on the line, cause significant disruption to rail services and are a serious safety hazard," said Inspector Vernon. "The partnership with Lancashire Constabulary should prove a real deterrent and should help us catch many more of these people."

Inspector Steve Fitzgerald, from the Lancashire Police air support unit, said vandalism can cause alarming problems on the railway. "Hopefully we will be able to help our colleagues in the transport police keep an aerial eye on their property."

The helicopter will carry a transport police officer as an airborne observer who will pass information about vandals and trespassers back to the ground where motorcycle units will provide a rapid response capability.

According to the Health and Safety Executive 53 per cent of all train incidents are due to vandalism. Routine crime costs the railways over £150 million a year and causes over 775,000 delay minutes. The peak period for crime is between 4 pm and 8 pm in daylight hours when there is a crime every four and a half minutes on the network.

In the North West last year there were almost 500 cases of obstructing trains, 400 of endangering safety, 30 of arson, 350 of criminal damage and over 1,000 of missile throwing.