The family of teenager Aaron Keenan has urged everyone to stay away from railway lines ahead of the anniversary of his heartbreaking death.

The football-daft 19-year-old, from Whitecrook, was killed by a train in an accident near Kilpatrick station on June 25 last year.

In the year since, parents Gillian Connelly and Paul Keenan are determined to prevent any injuries or fatalities on the rails.

Gillian, 42, said there are too many people walking along the line and access is too easy.

She told the Post: “If it stops one person, then it’s taking that risk away.

“It’s hard to think it’s our son that’s gone, but there has to be a reason for his death.”

The couple had considered a benefit night to raise funds for the ICU that cared for Aaron in his final hours and also to raise awareness of the dangers of being near rail lines. But the pain is still too raw and they hope to prepare something within the next year.

In the meantime, they said a safety message should go out to save even one person.

Paul, 50, said: “It should be fenced. The biggest thing is to get awareness about these train lines.

“Stay well away from railway lines.”

Gillian added that family and friends living close to the line near Kilpatrick reported they often hear people walking along the track, particularly from Bowling back towards Kilpatrick if a train has skipped the stop.

She said: “It’s used by adults and kids. What we worry about is the ease of access.”

Statistics from Network Rail and British Transport Police last year found on average one person encroaches on tracks every hour in the UK.

The most recent figures in Scotland were up 16 per cent on the previous year to 710 incidents. Over five years in the UK, 115 people have been killed while trespassing – just under half of them younger than 25.

A spokesman for Network Rail told the Post the area near the station is bordered by fencing and hedgerows and there is not a history of trespass incidents in the area.

He said: "Any death on the railway is a tragedy and we constantly review what measures we can take to reduce incidents on our network.

“We regularly review the design of stations and other parts of our infrastructure to make locations less suitable for someone considering trespassing on the tracks.

“We also work closely with the British Transport Police, schools and charities to advise those most likely to trespass about the dangers of the railway.

“If anyone living near the railway has concerns about our infrastructure and believes an area is too easy to access they can report the issue to our 24-hour helpline on 03457 11 41 41 and our engineers will inspect the site.”