The school holidays are almost upon us and youngsters will soon have six weeks of freedom stretching before them.

But it's what they do with that time off from lessons that offers cause for concern.

Leeds has been named the worst hotspot in the country when it comes to railway crime.

Shocking video footage shows youngsters playing 'chicken' with trains hurtling toward them at speeds of 50 miles per hour.

Others have been seen hurling stones at trains, endangering the lives of drivers and passengers.

Network Rail say 2,200 objects were placed on the tracks last year and nearly 3,000 missiles were thrown or fired at trains.

There have been 256 accidental deaths on the railways in the last five years. A quarter of them involved eight to 18-years-olds.

The No Messin' campaign, backed by boxer Amir Khan, is trying to get youngsters off the train tracks.

Not only that but it aims to come up with better ways for them to spend their time.

It's a scheme that is much-needed in Leeds and the rest of West Yorkshire. Youngsters tempted to stray on to railway lines must be left under no illusion that they are dicing with death.

The chancer

THIEF Kyron Callaghan was spared jail after trying to steal Christmas presents from sick children at a Leeds hospital ward.

Less than a year later he was back in court having been caught on CCTV taking two laptop computers worth £2,000 and food from West Yorkshire Playhouse.

So what happens this time?

Surprise, surprise, once again he leaves court a free man having heard his sentencing is adjourned so he can be assessed for a drug rehabilitation programme.

Callaghan is a drug addict but that does not mean he should be deemed immune to a stint behind bars. It begs the question as to how many chances a criminal gets.

In Kyron Callaghan's case it certainly seems to be at least one too many.

Birthday hero

HE got a little mixed up when he came to Leeds to rededicate the Mandela Gardens.

But we can forgive a man of Nelson Mandela's calibre for just about anything – even getting us mixed up with Liverpool.

His visit to the city seven years ago helped cement the bond between Leeds and its twin city of Durban. Today celebrating his 90th year, he remains the embodiment of forgiveness and dignity.

So happy birthday Mr Mandela, we hope there are many more to come.