Shocking CCTV footage of a young boy playing chicken with a high-speed train has been released - as new figures reveal dozens of recent railway deaths.

A camera in the driver's cab shows the youngster standing on tracks as a passenger service approaches in Rochford, Essex.

The hooded boy rushes to a station platform as the train closes in - but he struggles to haul himself onto it.
¬A quarter of trespass fatalities were young people aged from 11 to 20 years¬
He scrambles to safety with just seconds to spare, narrowly avoiding serious injury.

Network Rail said 49 people died after trespassing on train tracks between April 1, 2009, and March 31, this year.

A quarter of trespass fatalities were young people aged from 11 to 20 years, the rail operator said.

It said there were nearly 3,400 recorded incidents of trespass and vandalism over the same period - almost 10 a day.

A host of items were also dumped onto railway tracks - some causing costly damage to trains and delays to services.

They included: 180 bikes; 76 shopping trolleys; seven prams; five dustbins; three televisions; one bouncy castle; and four trampolines, including one dropped from a bridge onto a train.

The rail operator said railway crime costs the industry £264m every year.