Safety calls over death crossing

The local MP said constituents had raised concerns for a long time

A crossing where a woman and her seven-year-old grandson were killed by a train in Nottinghamshire needs urgent safety improvements, campaigners say.

Jean Hoggart, 56, and Mikey Dawson were hit near the Moor Bridge tram stop in Bestwood Village on Saturday evening.

Local county councillor Chris Baron said the pedestrian-only crossing had been "an accident waiting to happen".

Network Rail said an initial inspection could not find "any problems or issues with the crossing itself".

Sherwood MP Paddy Tipping said there had been a long-running campaign to improve lighting at the site, which has an unlocked gate which leads from the path to the crossing.

With the lack of lighting, together with the dog-legged crossing, this was an accident waiting to happen County councillor Chris Baron

East Midlands Trains said the woman and her grandson were hit by the 1745 GMT Worksop to Nottingham train.

British Transport Police said it was working with Nottinghamshire Police to investigate what happened.

The Rail Accident Investigation Bureau has been informed and Network Rail is also investigating.

"An initial investigation yesterday indicated that it was a tragic accident and it could not find any problems or issues with the crossing itself. It seems safe and compliant with regulations," a Network Rail spokesman said.

Councillor Baron said he wanted to see gates installed which locked themselves when a train approaches.

'Serious consequences'

He said: "If you look at it, with the lack of lighting, together with the dog-legged crossing, this was an accident waiting to happen.

"There will be discussions between public bodies about who should be supplying the street lights and who has to pay for the work, but all we are bothered about is that people can get across safely."

Mr Tipping said he and his constituents had been raising concerns over the lighting at the crossing "for a long time".

He said: "There will be a full inquiry by the railway inspectorate and we will have to wait and see what the results are, but clearly there's a problem here that's led to very serious consequences."

The Network Rail spokesman said: "If we were to rebuild the entire railway network from scratch then we wouldn't have any level crossings on the railway because of the risk associated with them, but they are safe if used correctly."