Van man hurt in steam train crash

About 25 adults and children were on the train

A man has been flown to hospital after a crash on one of the UK's best-known steam railways.

About 25 adults and children were on the train which hit a van at a farm crossing on the Severn Valley line near Highley, Shropshire.

The van was pushed 200 yards down the track in the crash and the driver, Ian Davies, was trapped for 45 minutes.

He was freed by firefighters and flown by helicopter to a hospital at Selly Oak in Birmingham.

'Driver control'

Severn Valley Railway confirmed two members of the public had been having train driving lessons at the time of the collision.

John Leach, from SVR, said: "In the same way you can buy paintball games and hot air balloon rides, we sell driving courses.

"At all times a Severn Valley Railway driver was in control of the locomotive and as soon as the van appeared, they put in an emergency stop.

"Unfortunately this was not quick enough to stop the collision with the vehicle."

The Railways Inspectorate Branch of the Health and Safety Executive is investigating the accident.

The railway said it was still running trains on either side of the accident scene, between Kidderminster and Bewdley and between Bridgnorth and Highley.

It added that it hoped to restore full services on Tuesday.

The Severn Valley Railway runs on a 16-mile standard-gauge stretch of line between Bridgnorth in Shropshire and Kidderminster in Worcestershire and attracts thousands of visitors every year.

Volunteers are used to help operate the privately run rail line.