CHILDREN were today accused of motorway madness after police revealed they were investigating 70 incidents of youngsters playing on the M65 in under two months.

Officers said youths were endangering their lives and those of motorists, despite repeated warnings.

Sergeant Bev Saycell, of the Motorway Policing Unit, said: "Although figures are down on the same period last year, we have had some unbelievable incidents of children playing chicken and riding bikes on the motorway."

At the end of August, four children were spotted walking two dogs along the hard shoulder close to junction four

On August 11, children on a footbridge close to junction five dangled fishing rods with weights on the ends over the bridge, trying to smash the windscreens of passing cars

There were 11 incidents involving children throwing items from bridges, 44 incidents of children walking or playing on the motorway and 15 miscellaneous incidents of reckless behaviour, which included children riding bikes down motorway lanes, jumping from bridges and sitting on the central barrier. Children as young as five had been taken home to parents who thought they were playing safely on playgrounds.

Last summer, between July 21 and September 8, police were called to 127 incidents of M65 motorway madness involving children.

This year, over the same period, there were 70 - a reduction of 57 incidents.

Sgt Saycell said: "We are really concerned that some of the children were actually playing chicken on the motorway.

"The speeds the vehicles are travelling at are so fast that it is very difficult to stop in time if a child had run out in front of you.

"The number of children throwing objects from bridges has come down from 52 last summer to just 11 this summer which is really good. However, the figures are still too high as children should be nowhere near the motorway in the first place.

"This summer has been a particularly wet and miserable one so children have not had the opportunity to play out like they did last year.

"I just hope that these figures are signalling a downward trend.

Lancashire motorway police cover 258 miles of carriageway, which comprises of the M65, the M6, Junction 27-35 of the M55 and some of the M61.