Crash train seatbelt plea renewed

A father, whose daughter died in the Ufton Nervet rail crash in Berkshire, has renewed his appeal for seatbelts to be fitted in trains two years on.

Peter and 14-year-old Emily Webster were on the Paddington to Plymouth service when the train hit a car on a level crossing on 6 November, 2004. Five other people on the train died in the crash, as well as the car driver.

Victims and relatives of those affected gathered at the site on Monday to mark the second anniversary.

Mr Webster, from Devon, has been campaigning for better safety standards inside trains since the accident. He told BBC News: "I've tried to do quite a lot in parliament and elsewhere to recognise features and things inside the carriage that perhaps in previous accidents have not been given much attention to. Four out of the five passengers who died on the train would have survived had seatbelts been fitted, and that has been well recognised even by those organisations involved."

He added that stronger glass for train windows and the safety of half-barrier crossings needed to be reviewed.

Last year, the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) recommended against installing airline-style belts in trains, following research into crashes where passengers were thrown from carriages.

So far, no date has been set for an inquest into the deaths of those who died in the Ufton Nervet collision. The families of the victims are seeking legal aid for an inquest and their first application will be held in February next year.

Dr Elizabeth Capewell, of the Ufton Nervet Train Crash Network group, said the delay was causing people distress. "Many are already living with a lot of uncertainty, especially if they were injured or lost their jobs," she said. "It's just another element of uncertainty because we don't know when it will happen. It looks like the earliest it is going to happen now is the end of next year."

Ufton Nervet crash victims

• Anjanette Rossi, 38, of Speen, Berkshire
• Louella Main, nine, of Speen, Berkshire
• Barry Strevens, 55, of Wells, Somerset
• Emily Webster, 14, of Moretonhampstead, Devon
• Leslie Charles Matthews, 72, of Warminster, Wiltshire
• Keith Martin, 54, of Torquay, Devon
• Brian Drysdale, 48, of Reading, Berkshire

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