A TRAIN guard was showered with glass after yobs hurled a brick at a service leaving an East Lancashire station.

The 43-year-old victim was lucky to escape serious injury after the incident, which occurred after the 22:56 Preston to Colne service pulled out of Accrington station last night.

Glass flew into the guard's eye and he had to be taken to the Royal Blackburn Hospital for treatment.

The guard was later discharged, and has no lasting injuries, but British Transport Police chiefs said it was only a matter of time before a train worker was seriously injured or killed by such thoughtless attacks.

The incident, which happened at around 11.20pm, is the third such attack in Lancashire in two months.

Transport police are already undertaking a summer holidays disorder campaign, Operation Shield, targetting troublemakers on the railways using a Network Rail helicopter.

Officers were today conducting house-to-house enquiries to find out who threw the stone, which is believed to have been hurled from a pathway near the Preston-bound platform at the station.

Police are specifically appealing to two people, who were on the station at Accrington shortly before the incident, to come foward, as officers think they may have vital information.

CCTV footage from station cameras is also being studied.

Sgt Paul Longstaff, of British Transport Police, said. "The people responsible need to realise that throwing stones or bricks at trains is not just a game.

"It is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed as a result of this sort of behaviour.

"I am appealing to the local community to come forward with information as to who is responsible.

"I am also appealing to parents to reinforce this message and ask themselves if they know where their children are playing this summer."

No passengers were on board the train at the time of the incident and the train itself was moving at around 10mph.

Back in June a Blackpool South to Colne train was taken out of service following a stone-throwing attack between Burnley Central and Brierfield stations.

Shortly before that a train driver suffered a broken bone in his face after his train was stoned at Carleton, near Blackpool.

Youths wandering onto the tracks near Cherry Tree station, Blackburn, have also caused problems for transport police.

Anyone with information about the Accrington incident should call British Transport Police on 0800 405040.