WHEN it happened, we were told that the Selby rail crash was a one-in-a-million chance.

But as The Northern Echo Railway Bridges campaign has highlighted, the odds of a tragedy of the same proportions happening again may be considerably shorter.

Already this year there have been 33 incidents of a road vehicle finding its way on to a railway line. On average, every nine days there is a chance of the carnage of Selby being repeated.

Local authorities in our region have responded quickly to the potential dangers. Amid the bureaucratic obstacles created by the demise of Railtrack and the dispute over who actually meets the cost of repairs, our councils are to be congratulated for the valiant strides they have made in making travel safer for both motorists and rail passengers.

And this has been rewarded by the fact that of this year's 33 track incidents, only one has been in our region.

There is ample evidence to show that accidents of this kind are predictable and can be prevented.

We urged authorities across the country to take a lead from the authorities in our region. Public safety must never be allowed to be compromised for the sake of money or red tape.

With determination and the will to achieve, it is possible to make our railways safer and save lives.

AFTER a lousy few days and weeks for English football, there was at last something to celebrate on Saturday night.

The draw against Turkey and qualification for Euro 2004 were achieved in front of one of the most partisan crowds in the world.

There was also intimidation on the field, and the English players are to be congratulated for their restraint.

What a pity the same players were unable to display the same degree of professionalism, common sense and dignity in the few days before their visit to Istanbul.