A quick-thinking Northern train conductor has found two missing girls and helped return them to their home in Blackpool.

Paul Wilkinson found the girls, both under the age of 16, on board a train heading from Blackpool North to York on the evening of Wednesday 22 March 2023.

The girls told Paul that they had run away from home and he immediately alerted British Transport Police (BTP), who intercepted the train at Leeds and applied their duty of care to look after the girls.

This follows a similar incident in February, and local residents have commented that this incident underlines the need to retain the role of train conductors.

In 2022, Northern began the process of training its 7,000-strong workforce in how to spot vulnerable people on the railway and be confident to intervene. The training is delivered by the charity ‘Railway Children’, whose work focuses on identifying individuals at risk and helping with early forms of intervention.

Paul Wilkinson said: “I’ve worked on the railway for nearly 16 years and you meet hundreds if not thousands of customers every day – but through experience and training you can feel when something isn’t quite right – and you know that you need to call BTP. You should always trust your instincts.”

Chris Jackson, regional director for Northern, said: “Paul responded as any one of our staff would do when getting the sense that something wasn’t ‘quite right’ – and I applaud his actions.

“We work closely with British Transport Police to ensure the safety of everyone on-board our services – and I’m glad these young girls were found and returned home.”

Inspector Pete Wilcock said: “As guardians of the railway we are constantly working with and training rail staff on how to look beyond the obvious and spot the signs of children who are vulnerable or at risk.

“And we continue to work together, sharing intelligence and knowledge, to create a network of people who can understand, identify and help support and safeguard children.

“That’s exactly what this conductor did and, thanks to his quick thinking the girls were returned home once safeguarding checks had been completed.

“Members of the public can also play an important role by reporting any concerns about vulnerable children to rail staff or ourselves by texting 61016.”