A Co. Down-based company has been prosecuted after a train struck an excavator bucket left on a railway track.

Northern Excavators Ltd, of Culcavy Road, Hillsborough, have been fined £8,000 with £1,092 in costs after being found guilty of breaching Article 5(1) of the Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 and Regulation 5(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulation (Northern Ireland) 2000.

The company had been sub-contracted to carry out repair work on the Belfast to Dublin railway line due to their expertise in working on railway lines.

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However, following an overnight operation for track rehabilitation works, an excavator bucket was left on the line in February 2016.

The following morning, a six-carriage passenger train struck the bucket. There were no significant injuries to passengers on board.

The Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland (HSENI) said Northern Excavators failed to have adequate safety precautions in place during the repair operation, which "could have resulted in passengers being hurt or even killed".

HSENI Inspector Linda Murphy said: "This case highlights the dangers of railway maintenance with inadequate safe systems of working.  Appropriate attention must therefore be given by those who work on such activities, to ensure that high standards of safety control are in place at all times."

(LM)