Musician apologises for railway level crossing photo

Mr Holden used the image to generate publicity for his music

A musician has apologised for posting images on social media of himself standing on a railway line.

Chris Holden, 29, was photographed standing on the level crossing in Oakley, near Basingstoke.

Network Rail said there had been a string of incidents of people taking photos on the track, including a wedding and a woman who laid down on the tracks for a selfie.

It urged people to stay away from the tracks.

Mr Holden, who is from the village, said he received a "backlash" over the image he had posted to generate publicity for his music.

He said: "I'm really embarrassed because I just didn't think about the repercussions or how dangerous it is - it was a stupid thing to do and if I could go back in time, I would.

"I've grown up around here, so you just get so used to walking across the railway."

Network Rail and British Transport Police said there had been a 48% increase in the number of incidents of reckless behaviour recorded on the Wessex Route as lockdown lifted in July last year, compared with the previous month.

Insp Andy Jackson said: "Every year we see hundreds of people taking risks like this on and around the railway, which can have catastrophic impacts including life-changing injuries.

"The railway is full of hidden dangers and no photo opportunity is worth risking your life for."