Los Angeles, Jan 16 (IANS): Photos and videos have gone viral on the social media showing empty boxes of major shipping companies like UPS, FedEx and Amazon, littered alongside rail tracks in Los Angeles County, as there has been a spike in freight train thefts, according to a media report.

A CNN report on Saturday said that Union Pacific, one of the country's largest railroad companies, has announced it may avoid operating in Los Angeles County following the spike in thefts, which it blames on lax prosecution of crimes.

The containers and trains are locked, but can be broken into, the report added.

In a letter to the Los Angeles District Attorney sent last month, the Union claimed that it saw a 160 per cent year-over-year increase in theft in the county, the largest in the US.

Meanwhile, the Association of American Railroads has expressed concern about the crime increase.

"In coordination with local law and where necessary federal law enforcement partners, the industry is committed to pursuing all avenues necessary to address this criminal behaviour," an Association spokesman said in a statement.