Evidence to support sabotage theory

Is there enough evidence to support the sabotage theory?

Jarvis, the company responsible for maintaining the railway track at Potters Bar, has today continued the fight to clear its name.

It maintains that photographic evidence supports the theory that the fatal accident 10 days ago was caused by sabotage.

In a statement to the Stock Exchange, the company says that photos show that two sets of nuts were removed from the fatal points: but also that the inner nuts had also been adjusted in the 48 hours before the crash. Jarvis insists that no maintenance was carried out in that period - hence the suggestion of sabotage.

Peter Rayner is an advisor to the Transport Select committee, and an ex British Rail Project Manager - he told the programme that sabotage is the least likely cause and that maintenance and safety issues are at the heart of the current problems of the railways.

To reinforce that point, the Daily Mirror today publishes a detailed photographic dossier of its own. It claims to show a range of faults, including loose and missing nuts, on one ten-mile stretch of line between Liverpool Street and Colchester. We heard from Gary Jones, the paper's Chief Reporter, who told us what exactly his source had told him.

Also on the programme

Britain's universities and colleges are supposed to offer the chance of further education to 50% of all students by 2010. But their ability to do so may be prejudiced by a shortage of cash.

A new inquiry has investigated the real costs of universities and found an alarming gap of £1 billion between those costs and the funding provided by Government.

The chairman of the committee responsible for the work was Professor David Westbury, the Vice Principal of the University of Birmingham. He told the programme that the missing billion will mean that much essential work on the infrastructure of higher education will go by the board.

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