A train had a lucky escape after smashing into milk crates laid on the line by railway vandals.

No one was hurt in the smash when the driver slammed on the brakes but bosses warned the incident could have been much more serious.

Details of the crash, which happened in Lancing on Friday, were released yesterday as British Transport Police (BTP) revealed a 62 per cent rise in vandal attacks on trains and rail lines.

Incidents of graffiti and vandalism in the Brighton area rose from 50, in the nine months from April 2001 to January 2002, to 133 over the same period last year.

It prompted an urgent warning that vandals were dicing with death and putting other people's lives at risk.

Inspector Gary Ancell, of BTP, said Friday's incident could have had more serious consequences.

He said: "There was a loud bang and the driver, at first, did not know what had happened.

"Fortunately, the train was undamaged and was able to continue on its journey but there is always a danger such incidents could lead to derailment and injuries."

The police also reported an increase in violence on trains in the Brighton area.

The number of attacks has gone up from 162 to 196.

But Mr Ancell said the increase was partly due to improved reporting of incidents, some of a minor nature, which had previously been unrecorded.

He said BTP had chalked up a string of successes in combating people determined to cause trouble on trains.

The detection rate for violence leapt from 26 per cent to almost 33 per cent.

Robberies went down from 53 to 36 incidents.

Detections in this category were up from 35 per cent to 41 per cent.

Mr Ancell said: "We have worked extremely hard targeting robberies and the effect has been dramatic."

Thefts of personal items from passengers rose from 288 to 357, mainly due to people leaving mobile phones unattended.

Mr Ancell said: "We need to educate people not to leave their phones lying around, or in jacket pockets, when they visit the buffet or toilets."

He said new reporting methods would give a clearer picture of crime on the rail system in the next 12 months.

In the meantime, he urged parents to keep tabs on children and to warn them of the dangers of causing trouble on rail lines.

He said: "They are not only risking other people's lives but their own."