Some background info ... Meathop Road runs parallel to the railway for a mile, including in the area where the derailment happened. ln the last few years the road has been chronically prone to flooding, causing many issues to road users, vehicles, and land wners alike. A local farmer has been documenting this from his tractor cab. This video - filmed on 12 December 2023 shows the sitaution. It may also demonstrate the issue that emergency services had in getting vehicles to the nearest rod access point (Holme Island).
What an excellent video by a responsible, level headed and experienced man; this record of yet another example of man made flooding should go to the Govt Dept in charge of Natural England.
All over the country this Govt Outfit is carrying out actions that will reduce our abilities to provide our own food,
increasing our dependance on sometimes dubious foreign imports.
Natural England’s very restrictive, costly and time consuming conditions are having direct adverse effects, not least railway wise, on reopening and maintenance of railway lines and general railway infrastructure works.
As a neighbour and user of the Okehampton line their ‘‘interference’ and cost accumulating works and delays were all too plain to see and NR and their Contractors working on the project often suffered in desperation and frustration, hoping the scale of Natural England’s ‘interference’ will not be repeated on the now Govt. authorised and financed reopening between Tavistock and Bere Alston.