Pair tell of near miss on railway crossing

A WAREHAM couple have spoken of the terrifying moment a high-speed train shot across a railway crossing without the warning lights or safety barriers in place.

Beatrice and Michael Smith were on their way to Lulworth when the incident happened at the Holme railway crossing on the B3070.

Beatrice said: "An open top MG was in front of us and I don't think they knew the road as they were going quite slowly.

"The bonnet of his car had gone past the first barrier but he managed to stop. I can only think they heard the sound of the train as they were in an open top.

"They were two young men and they were incredibly shaken.

"We were all shocked - it was unbelievable.

"My son was driving and if the MG hadn't been in front of us he would probably have had his foot on the accelerator because he knows the road well and he knows it is a smooth crossing.

"There was a man working on the crossing and he had no warning signals on the roadside - this goes against health and safety regulations."

Her husband Michael said: "It was extremely dangerous and we reported it to the police but they say they can't do anything as there was nobody hurt.

"The car in front was just about to go across the crossing and we were about to follow it.

"We were all quite shocked," he added.

A spokesman for Network Rail said they were investigating the incident which took place just before 10pm last Friday, July 18. They could not make any further comment on the matter.