Plane crash rail track reopened

Emma and Nick O'Brien were passengers in the light aircraft

A stretch of rail track has fully reopened following a light aircraft crash which killed three people.

The pilot Alan Matthews, 59, along with Nick O'Brien, 35, and his wife, Emma, 29, all from the West Midlands, died in the crash near Stafford, on Friday.

Network Rail said the section of the West Coast Main Line was fully open in time for Monday's rush hour.

However, travellers still faced disruption on the line due to damaged power cables at Watford Junction.

A spokeswoman for Network Rail said it had been working with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) to look for clues as to how the crash happened.

Power lines

Several Virgin Trains services began using the track, in Little Haywood, on Sunday afternoon.

Mr and Mrs O'Brien, from Shirley, Solihull, were passengers in the plane which crashed when it hit power lines above the track at Little Haywood.

The couple who had two children, Callum, aged 10, and 18-month-old Joel, were believed to have known the pilot Mr Matthews, from Walsall, through Mr O'Brien's work.

Mr Matthews, who was registered as company director of Sittles Farm Flying Club, near Lichfield, Staffordshire, was described by his wife Jenny as "loving and caring".