£7m paid out as vandals disrupt 25 trains a week

VANDALS are making train journeys a misery for millions and costing a fortune in compensation for hold-ups and cancellations.

- By Matthew Davis

Figures show there were almost 4,000 incidents of vandalism affecting services over the past three years - an average of 25 a week.

These included yobs throwing items at trains or dropping objects from bridges. Payouts to delayed passengers are estimated to have cost £7.3million in the past three years.

Trains have also been halted due to seats and toilets being vandalised, with obscene graffiti sprayed on windows meaning some had to be taken out of service. The dangers were highlighted earlier this year when objects were hurled at trains from a bridge above a 120mph railway line near Loughborough station, in Leicestershire.