SPARKS flying from trains travelling along the Severn Valley Railway are giving firefighters an unwanted headache.

There were 41 fires along the 16-mile line between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth between April and July – more than two per week – which is seven more than the number recorded for the same period last year.

Rail bosses say this year’s increased activity was largely due to the dry weather the county experienced in the spring and early summer while more trains have been running compared to 2010.

However, Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service has become concerned about being repeatedly called out to tackle fires along the railway and steps, including more regular monitoring of train driver performance, are being taken in a bid to reduce the risk of unecessary incidents.

David Mee, Severn Valley Railway’s visitor services manager, said vegetation along the trackside is regularly cut back and that staff are working with the fire service.

“We don’t want to be pyromaniacs,” he said.

Mr Mee said all drivers are trained to drive responsibly but added: “One or two might put more chuff into their departure from a station or when restarting from signals if they are running late and are trying to get somewhere quicker.

“In those situations it can cause sparks. Engines do have spark arresters which stop most of it but it can’t stop it all.”

The issue was raised at a meeting of the fire authority’s policy and resources committee but in a statement released afterwards the fire service’s group commander Keith Chance said: “We were quick to identify this increase and we are working closely with Severn Valley Railway to address the issue.

“A number of positive measures are already in place and staff at the Severn Valley Railway are fully committed to reducing incidents of this type.”

He confirmed that vegetation along the trackside has been cut back and that the number of carriages pulled by smaller engines had been reduced in a bid to stop them over-working and causing extra sparks to fly.

Staff at every level of the organisation are also being made aware of fire risks while train drivers are being audited more regularly by inspectors riding on the trains.

The fire service said it also follows up every call-out with the railway to establish the cause of the fire and to help identify any patterns.