Scandal of dump at crash memorial

A memorial to the victims of the Paddington rail disaster is to be surrounded by railings to stop it being used as a rubbish dump.

The tribute to the 31 who died in one of Britain's worst transport disasters has been targeted by flytippers dumping debris and rubble.

Kensington and Chelsea council is putting up the fencing to protect the 10ft high memorial sculpture and surrounding gardens.

Survivors of the Paddington disaster today condemned the " disgraceful" treatment of the £300,000 memorial.

Alan Macro, 55, from Theale in Berkshire, said: "It's nothing less than an insult to all the people who were killed.

"It's no different to people leaving rubbish lying around the Cenotaph. Words fail me as to how people could do this. It's deeply upsetting."

Louise Christian, the solicitor who represented many of the injured and families of the bereaved, said the flytippers had "desecrated" the memorial's role in honouring those who died in the disaster.

Ms Christian said: "It's very distressing. It's remarkably insensitive for people to do it. It may be that the memorial needs better protection than just fencing."

Rubbish was dumped at the memorial, which holds the ashes of two of the victims, just days before it was officially opened in October. Security fencing was ripped down and three lorryloads of rubble were dumped across the garden.

A similar incident occurred two months earlier when debris was left scattered across the site.

Council leader Merrick Cockell said today: "It's a sorry state of affairs that we have to take steps to prevent fly-tipping on a memorial site but experience suggests that the arrogance and insensitivity of fly-tippers should not be underestimated. We aim to thwart them and minimise their opportunities."

The memorial garden overlooking the crash site was opened in a ceremony of prayers and silence last October by the Bishop of Kensington and children of those killed in the collision. The 10-ton stone monument bears the names of all those who died.

The crash on 5 October 1999 occurred shortly after a three-carriage Thames Trains turbo left Paddington Station and passed through Signal 109 at red.

It continued unchecked and into the path of a Great Western Express coming into London. They collided at a combined speed of more than 130mph. Both drivers were among those who died.

Although the principal cause of the crash was because Michael Hodder, 31, drove his train through a red signal, subsequent investigations have not singled him out as the sole cause of the disaster, nor have the bereaved. Instead they say that the system and lack of safeguards were really to blame.