Putrid goo to combat roof riders

Indonesia has revealed its latest tactic to stop passengers riding on top of trains - putrid goo-soaked brooms.

It comes a month after grapefruit-sized concrete balls were suspended on chains above rail tracks.

That tactic worked but only on stretches of track where the deterrent had been erected.

Officials now plan to swat roof passengers with brooms drenched in putrid goo, reports the Daily Telegraph.

"For anyone who is still up there, it'll be like a whip," said Ahmad Sujadi, of the state-run railway, PT Kereta Api Indonesia.

"Some people say its inhumane, but that's fine," he added, "because letting them ride on the roofs is even more inhumane."

Hundreds of people clamber up on to the roofs of trains in Indonesia to avoid paying for tickets or to escape overcrowded carriages.

But dozens are killed or injured each year, falling off the trains or being electrocuted by the power lines above.