Trainer firm Vans scrap ad campaign showing teenager on rail tracks after complaint from heartbroken driver who saw youngster killed by her train
- Vans ad shows young woman holding a camera as she clambers onto platform
- Heather Waugh, a freight train driver for Network Rail Scotland, saw a 15-year-old boy die after he lay down in front of her train
- BTP said: ‘To see being on the tracks glamorised in this way is disappointing’
- A Vans spokesperson said today that the ads, at bus stops, were being removed
Shoewear company Vans has scrapped an ad campaign showing a young woman climbing off railway tracks after receiving a complaint from a freight driver who saw a 15-year-old boy die after he lay down in front of her train.
The poster for the popular skatewear firm, which was advertised on bus stops, showed the teenager holding a camera in one hand as she clambered onto a train platform.
Heather Waugh, a freight train driver for Network Rail Scotland, posted her shock at the advert yesterday, saying: ‘The 15-year-old boy who lay in front of my train to end his life would have been 21 this year.
‘Every single day I think of him, his family, and his friends. And then I see this. Advertising showing a teenager taking photos on tracks. Please stop romanticising the railway.’
A spokesperson for BTP, which tweeted an image of the advert today, told MailOnline: ‘We know all too well the devastating impact that trespass can have, so to see being on the tracks glamorised in this way is very disappointing.
Shoewear company Vans has scrapped an ad campaign showing a young woman climbing off railway tracks after the firm was slammed by a train driver who witnessed a teen die on the tracks. The advert was also criticised by police for ‘glamorising’ dangerous behaviour
Heather Waugh, a freight train driver for Network Rail Scotland, posted her shock at the advert yesterday on Twitter
‘Every year, we see hundreds of people taking risks like this on and around the railway, which can have devastating impacts including life-changing injuries.
‘Let us be clear, the railway tracks are not a photo opportunity – they are full of hidden dangers. ‘
In response to the BTP comment, a Vans spokesperson said: ‘Thank you for bringing this to our attention. The safety of our customers remains our top priority, and the advertisement is being removed as we speak.’
Sir Peter Hendy, chairman of Network Rail, responded to the news that Vans was pulling its campaign with a single-word tweet: ‘Good.’
And on Tuesday, Ian Prosser, HM chief inspector of railways, tweeted: ‘Please can this very irresponsible advert be removed from stories and billboards.
![Ms Waugh (above) said: 'Every single day I think of [the boy who died], his family, and his friends. And then I see this. Advertising showing a teenager taking photos on tracks. Please stop romanticising the railway'](https://i1.wp.com/i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/06/18/10/29752660-8435167-image-a-13_1592472054436.jpg?resize=634%2C634&ssl=1)
Ms Waugh (above) said: ‘Every single day I think of [the boy who died], his family, and his friends. And then I see this. Advertising showing a teenager taking photos on tracks. Please stop romanticising the railway’
A spokesperson for BTP, which tweeted an image of the advert today, said: ‘We know all too well the devastating impact that trespass can have, so to see being on the tracks glamorised in this way is very disappointing’
‘I think Network Rail, the whole sector and the British Transport Police [BTP] would agree.’
Meanwhile, Gary Lovatt tweeted: ‘As the son of a former train driver who had over 41 years main line experience, I know too well what a fatal trespass can do to someone you love.
‘Not only does the family of the person killed suffer but the driver relives it night after night in his dreams.’
MailOnline has contacted Vans for comment.