Three years of anguish and frustration were yesterday coming to an end for the mother of a man killed in the Southall train crash.

Maureen Kavanagh, from Laindon, who has fought tirelessly for justice since her son Peter died in the crash, was due to see the long-delayed official inquiry report.

Prepared by inquiry chairman Professor John Uff, the Health and Safety Commission report finally brings to an end events that began with the crash on September 19, 1997.

Seven people died and 139 were injured when a Great Western Trains express from Swansea to London collided with an empty freight train which was crossing the tracks at Southall.

The GWT train was driven by Larry Harrison whose prosecution, and that of GWT, for manslaughter, led to the long delay before the public inquiry into the accident could properly begin.

Both were cleared of the charge, although GWT was fined £1.5 million after admitting a charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act.

The campaign for justice has taken its toll on Mrs Kavanagh, of Somerset Road.

She battled breast cancer shortly after Peter's death and had an operation to remove her ovaries.

But she went on to support a march through Parliament Square and was at the launch of the report yesterday.

She said: It's a new beginning - it is the finish of Southall but we will be going forward and campaigning for what we believe in - safety on public trains."

She added: "We want to fight for the Corporate Manslaughter Bill to be changed. At the moment it's like these people have a licence to kill."

Mrs Kavanagh said her action group would continue to help the relatives of the Ladbroke Grove victims fight to see justice done.

The wait's over - for Maureen Kavanagah, from Laindon, whose son Peter, left, died in the Southall rail disaster three years ago

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.