A SPY in the sky plane which is hunting for children who trespass on rail tracks in Greater Manchester has caught five children in its first day.

British Transport Police officers launched Operation Skyhawk yesterday to detect and deter railway crime towards the end of the school summer holidays.

Within hours, police officers on board the Railtrack-sponsored Skyhawk plane spotted four girls and one boy putting rubbish on a line at a known trouble spot at Engine Lane in Atherton at around 5pm last night. They were also interfering with signals.

Police officers on the ground were sent to the area and the children were stopped. Police chiefs are now considering what action to take against them.

The pilot spy-in-the-sky scheme will run for three days and could be extended if it is a success.

Areas targeted by the plane will include Kearsley, Farnworth, Moses Gate, Bolton centre, Walkden and Clifton.

The plane is being supported by the force's motorcycle unit and other officers who will patrol the region's hotspots for rail vandalism.

Chief Inspector Peter Holden of British Transport Police said: "The use of a plane demonstrates the importance with which Railtrack and ourselves view crimes of this nature, the more serious of which are potentially life threatening.

"A plane is less obvious than a helicopter and it will not be immediately apparent whether we are patrolling a stretch of line or not."

He said children should be advised to always stay away from railway tracks unless they were travelling by train.