Drivers risked lives during barriers failure (From Daily Echo)
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Drivers risked lives during barriers failure near Romsey
12:52pm Friday 6th January 2012 in News
Drivers risked lives during barriers failure
POLICE were called out to stop impatient motorists from driving across two unmanned level crossings after the automated half-barriers failed.
Drivers were reported to be zig-gagging around the half-barriers at Mottisfont and Dunbridge station level crossing and the level crossing at Kimbridge, near Romsey.
Both sets of barriers failed at about 2.35pm on Wednesday. Police took swift action to prevent an accident happening after being contacted by the public and Network Rail.
A Hampshire police spokesman said: “We had reports of motorists driving around the barriers at both level crossings.”
Train drivers using the Salisbury to Southampton line were told to negotiate both crossings at slow speeds until the issue was resolved.
A Network Rail spokesman said: “We contacted Hampshire police to ask them to manage the traffic at both crossings until our team arrived. There was an external power failure and this tripped circuits at the barrier and staff had to reset all the equipment. The barriers were operating again at about 4.10pm.”
