Near miss involving child closes level crossing

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An emergency order has closed Frogmire Lane level crossing for at least 21 days

An emergency order has closed a railway level crossing following a "near miss" incident involving a child.

Network Rail said it had a "number of serious safety concerns" about Frogmire Lane level crossing in Knaresborough and had already starting gauging public opinion about closing it permanently.

The crossing, which is used by school-aged children, has long-standing problems with misuse and vandalism. There are also concerns about visibility for pedestrians, which is limited by the curved railway alignment and vegetation growth on a steep embankment. Network Rail added that trains would coast along this section of the line, making them harder to hear when approaching.

The emergency closure order would see the crossing shut for 21 days, with option to extend it by six months while long-term options are explored.

Dave Smith, Network Rail route level crossing manager, apologised for the inconvenience caused to crossing users. "Our view is that Frogmire Lane level crossing presents an unacceptable level of risk, and our application for an emergency closure on safety grounds has been accepted by the local authority," he said. "Decisions like this are not taken lightly, but our priority is always to keep the public safe, and the combination of poor sight lines, high levels of misuse and the number of vulnerable users means urgent action was needed."