Chilling footage shows a railway trespasser being struck by train in a horrible accident that left him paralysed.

The startling video - which features other near-misses on railways - was released by transport police to encourage parents to warn their children they risk their lives by playing on the railways as new figures reveal a huge increase in trespass incidents in Manchester.

In the most shocking incident, a man is struck by a speeding train as he takes a short cut at Kings Norton station in Birmingham last year. He survived but was left paralysed.

Chilling footage shows a railway trespasser being struck by train in a horrible accident that left him paralysed

The startling video - which features other near-misses on railways - was released by transport police to encourage parents to warn their children they risk their lives by playing on the railways

Last year British Transport Police recorded 97 incidents when people managed to get onto the railway tracks in Manchester compared to 66 the year before.

Patrols have been stepped up during the holidays as youngsters are twice as likely to trespass on the tracks in the summer compared to the winter.

Almost 170 young people have lost their lives after trespassing on UK railways in the last ten years.

After publishing the shocking video, Chief Inspector Sue Peters, of BTP, said: 'The last thing our officers want to do is knock on someone's door to tell a parent their child has been killed or seriously injured as a result of trespassing.

'We're doing all we can to keep children safe by patrolling areas where we know they're likely to trespass and prevent them from doing so. However, we cover thousands of miles of track and we cannot tackle this issue alone.

'That is why we are urging parents and young people to heed this warning and take a reality check when it comes to trespass. It's not a game: they are real tracks, with real trains and real life consequences.'

Last year British Transport Police recorded 97 incidents when people managed to get onto the railway tracks in Manchester compared to 66 the year before

Almost 170 young people have lost their lives after trespassing on UK railways in the last ten years

Peters added that signs and posters will be put up at numerous stations in the area where trespass is currently an issue, in the hopes it will 'deter people from endangering their lives by going on the lines.'

In 2015, the trespass incidents in Manchester caused delays totalling 118 hours.

There were 270 reports of trespass in 2015 in the north west, resulting in delays totalling six hours for affected services.

Figures show that 72 per cent of people who died on the railways were struck by a train while the rest were either electrocuted or fell from structures like bridges or trains.

42 per cent of trespassers name taking a short cut as their main motivation followed by thrill-seeking (19 per cent).

Patrols have been stepped up during the holidays as youngsters are twice as likely to trespass on the tracks in the summer compared to the winter

Chief Inspector Sue Peters, of BTP siad signs and posters will be put up at numerous stations where trespass is currently an issue, in the hopes it will 'deter people from endangering their lives by going on the lines'

Figures show that 72 per cent of people who died on the railways were struck by a train while the rest were either electrocuted or fell from structures like bridges or trains

Nick Jordan, community safety manager for Network Rail, said: 'We are urging parents to remind their children that, if they are on the railway, they are on dangerous ground.

'It may seem like a good idea to take a shortcut, or like fun to play on the tracks, but this is not only illegal it is also dangerous. Britain has the safest railway in Europe but still too many people lose their lives on the tracks.