Rail experts investigating an incident in which a man was trapped by an automatic barrier have said safety is of the utmost importance to them.

David Foster, who is leading the campaign to save Frinton's landmark railway gates, was on a fact-finding trip to back up his safety campaign when the accident happened.

Mr Foster, chairman of the Frinton Gates Preservation Society, became trapped when the automatic railway barriers at Manningtree came down unexpectedly.

A Network Rail spokesman said: "We are very concerned to hear about the alleged incident at the crossing in Manningtree."

Network Rail has launched an immediate inquiry into the incident.

As part of this, investigators will be studying CCTV footage.

The spokesman added: "We would urge members of the public to report any such incidents directly to Network Rail, so we can take appropriate action as soon as possible."

However, another rail spokesman remarked that the system using CCTV cameras had worked just as intended.

The staff had seen a situation and lifted them immediately.