Sexual assaults and thefts on Calderdale railways

Figures show that 335 crimes were recorded by the British Transport Police at stations and on trains in the borough since 2015.

Recorded crimes have risen from 96 in 2015 to 121 last year.

A woman was raped at Mytholmroyd Railway Station car park in 2015, while a child under 13 was sexually assaulted on a train near Hebden Bridge Railway Station in 2017.

There were 143 recorded thefts or burglaries, including cars, bicycles, luggage and live cable.

There were also 29 assaults, 12 sexual offences and 22 incidents of graffiti.

Stephen Waring, Chair of the Halifax and District Rail Action Group, said: “The figures are clearly a concern.

"It would be interesting to know how the numbers for compare with the regional and national picture, and, indeed, whether the overall increase reflects a general trend in crime, not just around the railway.

"Train passengers need to feel safe, and the railway must do everything it can to keep them safe. That means train companies need to have good security measures and effective monitoring in place to protect people, and of course a good, effective, level of staffing both on stations and, just as important, on trains.

"There is little doubt that visible staff presence makes people feel safer and deters crime.

"We understand the Northern train company is going to be increasing staff at some stations which is an improvement, but there will still be a need to do more for passenger security late at night when station staff may still not be there.”

Which stations were the worst-hit?

Halifax - 53;

Todmorden - 40;

Hebden Bridge - 39;

Sowerby Bridge - 20;

Mytholmroyd - 15;

Brighouse - 4;

Walsden - 3.