MP renews call for Grayrigg disaster public enquiry

11.51.29am GMT Wed 15th Oct 2008

Tim has repeated his call for a public enquiry into the Grayrigg and Potters Bar rail crashes

Responding to the news that two people have been cleared from police bail over the 2007 Grayrigg rail crash, local MP Tim Farron last night repeated his call for a public enquiry into the incident.

Mr Farron, who is the local MP for Grayrigg, said that there were too many similarities between Grayrigg and the Potters Bar crash which killed 7 people in 2002, again due to faulty points.

The police arrested three men in relation to the crash but two have since been cleared.

Speaking last night, Mr Farron said: "We could soon be in a position in which no-one will carry the can for this awful disaster. I am not saying that junior workers on the track are to blame. The responsibility goes far higher and there were serious breaches by managers who did not ensure that the maintenance was properly carried out.

"There needs to be an urgent public inquiry to demand exactly how this crash happened otherwise it will simply happen again, and we owe it to the families to make sure that this never happens again. There are thousands of rail points in Britain and they must be properly maintained and checked."