Rail bosses on the First Great Eastern line have been ordered to crack down on the number of drivers jumping red lights.

Safety chiefs wrote to the company ordering it to take urgent action following revelations that more red lights were passed from April 2000 to last March than in April 1999 to March 2000.

First Great Eastern, which runs trains from Southend Victoria to Liverpool Street, is one of ten companies to receive a letter from the Health and Safety Executive .

However, the number of signals passed at danger on the First Great Eastern line had fallen dramatically since the figures were compiled after March this year, according to company spokesman Peter Northfield. He said: "We want to reassure people that many of these incidents are not serious and pose no danger.

"We are also in the process of installing a Train Protection Warning System, which will feature in our plan of improvement which has to be submitted to the HSE next month. We received the letter because one point from a 22-point plan was not completed by September.

"This relates to the signalling of slam door trains. But we're just one step away from completing this."

Complaints by disruption-hit passengers soared in the six months after the Hatfield crash, figures showed today (Monday).

By Chris Weeks

Reporter's e-mail: chris.weeks@notes.newsquest.co.uk

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