QUICK-thinking railway workers have been praised for catching youths who were preparing to throw stones at high-speed East Coast Main Line trains.

The workers, who are employed by Network Rail, spotted the teenagers beside the line at Ferryhill, midway between Darlington and Durham.

They were able to apprehend them and detain them until police arrived.

Tom Lynch, Michael Armstrong, Ian Whittington and Stuart Harvey have now been rewarded by train company GNER, whose trains operate on the route.

The quartet have each been given a first-class return ticket for two to London and a letter of thanks from GNER's chief operating officer Jonathan Metcalfe.

Following the incident, last October, the youths involved were given custodial sentences by local magistrates for trespassing on the railway.

GNER operations manager Ken Groundwater said: "The track workers showed excellent forethought and no little bravery.

"Trains pass the point where this incident happened at anything up to 125mph.

"The quick-thinking of the trackside team may have prevented a serious incident, and we felt it was right to reward them for their actions."

Darlington and the surrounding area has one of the worst records in the country for railway vandalism, and in particular trespass.

In March last year, a 15-year-old and 14-year-old boy, from Darlington, died when they were struck by a train just north of the town's railway station.

Then, last December, a 14-year-old girl was killed when she was hit by a train in Blackhall, County Durham.

There have also been several incidents in recent years of objects being thrown at trains and left on tracks.

A joint campaign involving The Northern Echo and Network Rail, which is responsible for Britain's railway infrastructure, aims to highlight the dangers of playing close to train tracks.

The No Messing campaign involves visits to schools near known railway crime hotspots, while a roadshow has toured the region promoting rail safety and giving youngsters the chance to try safer activities, including sport, DJ workshops and computer games.