Two men sought in steel rail incident (From Ledbury Reporter)

Two men sought in steel rail incident

9:30am Saturday 8th September 2012 in Ledbury

THESE are the two men police are looking for in connection with the dumping of a section of steel rail on the Ledbury to London mainline, which was later struck by a passenger train.

The incident took place at 3.41pm on Wednesday, August 22, when a First Great Western passenger train struck a length of scrap rail on the line near Sling Lane, between the Great Malvern and Link stations.

None of the passengers or staff on board the 3.22pm service to London Paddington service was injured and the train remained upright and on the tracks.

However, the incident caused big delays for hundreds of passengers as services to and from Oxford, Birmingham, London, and the West Country were cancelled.

Police say the outcome could have been far worse if the train had been derailed.

They are now keen to eliminate the two men from the investigation.

Detective Inspector Andy Irwin-Porter said: “This was an extremely serious incident which could so easily have resulted in tragedy.

“An investigation is ongoing to discover how the object came to be on the railway line and whether it had been placed deliberately.

“As part of that investigation, I now need to identify the men in these photographs and speak to them.

“If you know their identity, or their whereabouts, please contact British Transport Police straight away.

“Alternatively, if you are one of the men in these photographs, it’s essential that you come forward and speak to us as you may have key information.”

Anyone with information should contact British Transport Police on Freefone 0800 405040 quoting reference B2/WWA of 05/09/2012.