RAILTRACK was fined yesterday after an investigation by The Northern Echo highlighted its continued failure to clear potentially lethal junk from the region's railways.

The company ignored repeated warnings and took five months to remove hazardous trackside debris - including old rails and concrete sleepers - which could have been used by vandals to derail trains, a court heard.

Earlier this year, The Northern Echo logged more than 140 instances of redundant materials and rubbish lying next to the East Coast Main Line between York and Newcastle.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors first complained about the amount of junk left by engineers on the southern approach to Darlington - where trains reach speeds of up to 125 mph - in October 2001.

The court heard that abandoned material is the single most dangerous threat to trains and that this risk was heightened at Darlington, which is in the UK's top 21 areas of trespass and rail vandalism.

Magistrates heard that, despite this, the debris was still present when the inspector returned in January this year.

In February, the HSE issued an improvement notice, which gave the company a month to clean up its act.

But inspector Michael John Smith said: "By the March compliance date the material had still not been removed. Railtrack had the opportunity to rectify the situation but failed to ensure that necessary action was taken."

Alun Williams, for Railtrack, said the company admitted failing to comply with the HSE notices but assured the court the situation had been resolved.

He said: "Since this incident the company has restructured so there are now four times more people covering such situations and staff at all levels, and the contractors who are meant to clear away the debris after work, act together and more speedily for a better future for our railways."

Fining Railtrack £10,000 David Irving, chairman at Bishop Auckland magistrates, said: "We feel that because of the length of time this material was left at the trackside and the speed at which the trains travel on that section there was a serious risk of a potential disaster."

Ernie Preston, secretary of the Rail Passenger Committee for the North-East, said it was completely unacceptable for Railtrack not to act upon the HSE's advice and that it had been a miracle that no one had been injured.

He said: "Broken track, litter and disused construction material simply should not be left by the line as it provides an opportunity for vandals to throw it on the track and risk derailment.

"It should have been cleared away as soon as possible, and Railtrack had months to organise the safe removal of that material.

"I appreciate that the work takes some organising and that they appear to be making an attempt to improve safety. They are now working with us to identify the areas most in need of work."

North Durham MP Kevan Jones raised the matter in the House of Commons after Railtrack told The Northern Echo that there was a backlog of 15 years of potentially lethal junk by Britain's rail lines.

Last night, Mr Jones said: "This prosecution follows a Northern Echo campaign on an issue I take very seriously.

"I congratulate the magistrates on taking a hard line."

A spokesperson for Network Rail, the successor to Railtrack, said: "We instigated an action plan in May to clear junk from areas classed as blackpots and have completed the work we set out to do.

"We have spent £10m on lineside clearance work to remove it as quickly as possible and this work is ongoing."