BRITAIN'S rail network may need a special detection system to help guard against another Great Heck disaster, a major inquiry has found.

Investigators have urged the rail industry to consider installing devices capable of spotting vehicles which have strayed on to the line, as happened in last February's crash.

They have also called for signs to be put up near rail bridges, giving the location and telling people how to contact Railtrack in the event of a crash.

Gary Hart, the driver of the Land Rover involved in the Great Heck tragedy, was unable to tell emergency telephone operators where his car had strayed on to the line when he raised the alarm. Seconds later a London-bound GNER passenger train careered into the Land Rover and went on to hit a freight train coming in the opposite direction.

Hart was found guilty of ten counts of death by dangerous driving in December, and is due to be sentenced next week.

During his trial at Leeds Crown Court, it was suggested that barriers alongside the M62 did not provide sufficient protection for the railway line.

A leading rail safety group was commissioned to investigate the crash on the East Coast Main Line at Heck, near Selby.

Railway Safety Ltd, an independent not-for-profit organisation aimed at improving safety across the rail network, has completed a thorough and independent inquiry into the tragedy.

A report says it appointed a panel of independent experts to examine all aspects of the crash to identify the immediate and underlying causes, and to make recommendations to prevent a recurrence.

The report recommends that signs should be provided at road bridges over railway lines, where vehicles are at risk of coming on to the line. These would indicate the location and tell people how to contact Railtrack. It also says consideration should be given to vehicle detection systems at locations with a risk of road vehicle incursions.

Updated: 11:09 Friday, January 04, 2002