PROTESTERS opposed to the closure of Wareham railway station’s pedestrian level crossing made their voices heard.

The campaigners, who have amassed a petition with more than 2,200 signatures, gathered at Wareham railway station.

Bolstering the ranks were Wareham residents, Mid Dorset and North Poole MP Michael Tomlinson, local councillors and members of the Wareham Town Trust, the organisation that started the petition.

Trust chairman Nick Fagan said: “Basically, what we want is to retain the existing surface level crossing.

“We don’t need that guy sitting in the box whenever the trains are running, which the county council says is too expensive.

“All they need to do is link the gates to the signals, as they are at Poole High Street. This is the common sense way of dealing with it.”

Meanwhile, Mr Tomlinson said: “There was an excellent turnout. Residents say the crossing is used safely and that if it was removed it would effectively cut the town in half. As it is being operated at the moment, I have no safety concerns.”

Network Rail wants to close the pedestrian level crossing on safety grounds, but it has served as a main route from Northmoor into Wareham town centre for decades.

Currently the crossing is controlled by locking gates and a security guard.

These were introduced in 2010 after the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) served Dorset County Council and Network Rail with a notice ordering safety to be improved. At that time the crossing was identified as one of the most potentially dangerous in the country.

Network Rail has been closing hundreds of level crossings across Britain’s railways over the past five years, primarily in response to a number of serious and fatal accidents. Last year plans for a ramped pedestrian footbridge at the site of Wareham station’s existing stepped footbridge were turned down by Purbeck District Council on the grounds it was too large and would add too much time to pedestrian journeys.

Campaigners want the existing pedestrian level crossing retained, as they argue it is elderly and disabled friendly.

It is understood the ORR could effectively order the closure of the pedestrian level crossing if it considers it too dangerous.

A Network Rail spokesman said: “Although the current safety measures at the crossing have helped to reduce the level of risk, the arrangement does not represent a long-term solution.

“Since September, Network Rail has been working closely with Dorset County Council to establish all of our options as to how else risk could be reduced at this location, and we recently attended a meeting of their cabinet to explain our position and the council is currently considering options.”