BRIDPORT man Roy Challis, whose son was killed in the Austrian train fire in November 2000, is calling for compensation to be paid to his daughter-in-law and grandaughter.

Kevin, a ski instructor, died along with 154 others when a train caught fire in a tunnel in the resort of Kaprun.

Sixteen resort workers and inspectors are now facing charges of negligence in a court case that has begun in Austria.

Mr Challis, believes that Kevin's widow, Crystal, and daughter, Siobhan, should be compensated so they never have to worry about money again.

And he says that company bosses should be put in the dock if there was found to be negligence. Prosecutors have told a court in Salzburg that a "mosaic of errors" led tot he catastrophe.

They added that the court must decide who was responsible for installing and servicing the illegal heater in the driver's cabin, the lack of fire extinguishers or emergency hammers for smashing windows to allow escape and the fact that the doors jammed.

Mr Challis is worried that compensation awards in Austria are given out through a system linking people's income, age and the years they were expected to live.

"Kevin was not very well paid as a ski instructor but was also a qualified bricklayer and he could have earned far more doing that. It seems unjust that they use an outdated system for compensation but we just have to accept it," he said.

Mr Challis added that the family had received great support from people locally.