At around 7 pm last Friday evening, Police Scotland received reports of ‘kids’ hanging from a footbridge over train tracks in Annan.
And then early on Tuesday evening, two young boys were seen running across all six lanes of the M74 near Kirkpatrick Fleming.
In an online appeal, a local man raised the issue of the two boys running across the road.
He described both as having dark hair, one aged 10/11 and the other aged 7/8, and called on parents to talk to their children about the dangers of such behaviour.
Police Scotland have warned too of the potentially fatal consequences of such action.
Sergeant Scott McDowall from Annan explained that the ‘kids’ at the railway line were spotted by a member of the public and, in response to the life-threatening report, a rapid reaction of police units from Annan, Lockerbie, the traffic department and the British Transport Police rushed to the scene.
A warning was also sent out to train drivers on the line, resulting in disruption to services.
Speaking this week, Sergeant Scott McDowall added: “It was reported to police that youths were observed on the railway line at Lockerbie.
“This is a live line with high speed trains passing on a regular basis and should be treated as highly dangerous.
“I would urge not only the public to stay off the track at all times, but also for parents to remind their children of the obvious dangers involved.”
He also confirmed that education is taking place at various schools across Annandale and Eskdale in response to recent reports of children and young people on railway lines and the motorway.
Earlier this month, there were several reports of teenagers accessing the train tracks at Lockerbie.
