IN A crackdown on school holiday crime, Railtrack will have "squads" armed with video and stills cameras throughout the North West.

They will be used to identify troublemakers - and their behaviour could be "exposed" when they get back to school.

The "candid camera" squads will be out and about on trains, sitting up front with the drivers so they can catch the action as it happens.

They will also ride on trains in known trouble spots so that they can get a clear picture of people taking short cuts, throwing stones at the trains or placing objects on the line in front of them.

As well as the portable cameras, many trains are also fitted with equipment that can take digital pictures of the tracks ahead of the train.

Passenger trains have "keyhole" cameras so that vandals who are intent on wrecking the insides of carriages will be caught in the act, even if they think nobody is watching.

Cameras have also been given to one rail user group so that they can monitor the situation in their area.

Martin Frobisher, Railtrack North West asset manager in Manchester said: "The whole point of the campaign is to identify young vandals and trespassers in the act so that when schools return after the holidays, we can arrange meetings with the teaching staff and get the safety message across to those pupils concerned.

"We can then tell them about the danger they placed themselves in as well as telling them what were the consequences of their actions.

"The amount of railway crime always escalates in the summer months," Mr Frobisher added. "The days are long and children quickly become bored.

"It's then that they take it out on the railway and their foolhardiness can mean delays and damage to trains, and injury to staff and passengers as well as themselves."