Fears that railway disaster could happen at Culcheth

A MUM has voiced fears that a railway disaster could be about to happen in Culcheth.

Val Allen, of Croft, has been lobbying councillors for two years in a bid to have crash barriers erected above the Liverpool to Manchester railway which runs next to Kenyon Lane and Wilton Lane and her worries were heightened by last week's Selby rail disaster.

Nothing but rickety wooden fencing or battered wire mesh are there to stop vehicles driving over the 30-feet-deep cutting which lies at the bottom of a sheer embankment.

So when Mrs Allen heard about the Land Rover which missed the barriers and landed on the train tracks at Selby, she was horrified. The crash, which happened last week, killed 10 and left 70 injured.

"There are two really bad bends there," said Mrs Allen, "one on Wilton Lane and another at the junction with Kenyon Lane.

"I feel that it's very dangerous. It just takes one vehicle to lose control and it will end up on the tracks below.

"There are no crash barriers along there and nothing to stop an accident happening."

The roads come under the jurisdiction of Wigan Council and talks have already taken place between the authority and Railtrack.

A spokesman for the council said: "We can totally understand these concerns in the light of the Selby disaster.

"It has been discussed in the past with Railtrack and nothing came of it, but as far as we are concerned, while the barrier is the responsibility of Railtrack, we are going, again, to raise this with them."

But Railtrack say it's not their problem.

"The local authority would normally be in a position to erect the crash barrier and recognise road safety issues relating to them it is not Railtrack's responsibility.

"The highways department of the council is recognised as the authority on road safety and I am sure we will be speaking to them about such issues."