Local rag reports line closed due to slurry, reality wildly different.

[atillathehunn]

Among the more unusual reasons for a line closure?? For unknown reasons a farmer reversed his tractor and trailer down the station approach ramp and unleashes the slurry.

'Brazen' tractor driver caught using Hartford railway as 'personal sewer'

A RAILWAY line was blocked after a farmer emptied a slurry tank into a flooded station car park.

www.northwichguardian.co.uk

A RAILWAY line was blocked after a farmer emptied a slurry tank into a flooded station car park in Northwich.

The West Coast Main Line was closed between Warrington and Crewe following the ‘brazen’ act at Hartford Station.

Video footage of the incident showed a tractor towing a trailer reversing into the entrance to the car park before thousands of litres of ‘filthy liquid’ were released onto the access road and train tracks below.

Apparently it's not slurry, but flood water. Unclear if it resulted in the closure of the WCML.

 

[LOL The Irony]

Among the more unusual reasons for a line closure?? For unknown reasons a farmer reversed his tractor and trailer down the station approach ramp and unleashes the slurry.

'Brazen' tractor driver caught using Hartford railway as 'personal sewer'

A RAILWAY line was blocked after a farmer emptied a slurry tank into a flooded station car park.

www.northwichguardian.co.uk

Apparently it's not slurry, but flood water. Unclear if it resulted in the closure of the WCML.

What a selfish (you can fill in the blanks). May they feel the full force of the book hitting them in the face.

EDIT: Turns out the reporter jumped the gun and didn't obtain the full facts.

 

[atillathehunn]

What a selfish (you can fill in the blanks). May they feel the full force of the book hitting them in the face.

So apparently this is flood water and was told to dump there - but if it resulted in the closure of the line and caused damage then have to question why.

 

[LOL The Irony]

So apparently this is flood water and was told to dump there - but if it resulted in the closure of the line and caused damage then have to question why.

Who the hell tells someone to dump water by railway tracks?

 

[atillathehunn]

Who the hell tells someone to dump water by railway tracks?

I don't know. At all.

 

[Bald Rick]

The line is closed near there, but not for that reason.

 

[atillathehunn]

The line is closed near there, but not for that reason.

Probably also due to water, of which there is a lot. Im guessing the various viaducts are closed?

 

[Mojo]

One of the comments on the article said that someone from Network Rail told him to put it there.

 

[atillathehunn]

One of the comments on the article said that someone from Network Rail told him to put it there.

Which is what I said earlier. But I can't edit titles.

In fact, please delete it all.

 

[Mojo]

Which is what I said earlier. But I can't edit titles.

In fact, please delete it all.

You can edit the thread title; just click the edit thread button (at the top.)

 

[peters]

One of the comments on the article said that someone from Network Rail told him to put it there.

If that's the case why hasn't some from Network Rail removed the same story for the press release section of their own website?

Tractor driver caught using railway as ‘personal sewer’ during floods

A tractor driver has been caught on video dumping suspected floodwater into a railway station car park.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

Newsquest sites are full of copy and paste articles but Network Rail can't blame one for putting out inaccurate information, when they wrote the press release and still have it live on their site!

 

[holl1984]

These farmers saved our town. They are still there now. They wernt asked to, they just did it. Some of them were there over 25 hours straight pumping the water, saving houses and businesses. They claim network rail told them but I and many other suspect Cheshire west and Chester council may have had something to do with it.

these farmers are hero’s in all of this.

this whole article has stemmed from a local residents post on a local page and a lot of people putting 2 and 2 together and making anything but 4

 

[peters]

There's a quote on the Cheshire live article from a network rail source saying they did not give permission to dump the water, it's the WCML that was flooded at the time though. The local residents are adiment the farmer had permission off someone, but it wasn't network rail maybe an environmental or a CWAC employee.

The line through Hartford is the WCML. All services from Euston to Liverpool and Euston to Preston (and beyond) services go through Hartford, the Birmingham to Liverpool services stop there.

There were farmers using tractors in the town centre to clear water, which would have been under the supervision of the Environment Agency, United Utilities and Cheshire West & Chester council.

 

[holl1984]

The police were using the farmers and tractors as part of there pumping efforts yesterday which suggests that someone most certainly knew what they were doing. If not network rail then someone else.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

I fail to see how 'reverse into the railway station and tip the contents down someone else's road and onto a railway line' can possibly be an instruction from any person holding any kind of responsibility.

I saw the video clip in my twitter feed and assumed the tractor driver had some beef about floodwater coming onto his land from the railway and thought it was an appropriate way to 'get his own back'. That it was done under formal instruction (if it actually was) beggars belief.

 

[323235]

I'm surprised at the tone that the Northwich Guardian were taking over it given recent events in the town and I think the route directors statement was unusually inappropriate given they didn't know the facts and the weather we've had recently (this isn't someone running across a crossing whilst the barriers are down in front of a train). I think they will perhaps regret the words and tone used if it is found the tractor driver was working under instruction of the environment agency and council.

 

[Whistler40145]

I wonder how the Tractor driver would feel if someone sprayed thousands of gallons of liquid **** through his letterbox

 

[PG]

I'm surprised at the tone that the Northwich Guardian were taking over it given recent events in the town and I think the route directors statement was unusually inappropriate given they didn't know the facts and the weather we've had recently (this isn't someone running across a crossing whilst the barriers are down in front of a train). I think they will perhaps regret the words and tone used if it is found the tractor driver was working under instruction of the environment agency and council.

FWIW the reporter who is credited with writing that article has received adverse comment.

Did any farmers come to your aid after that very misleading article you wrote? Know the facts before you write an article

 

[185]

A lot of comment suggesting that "Network Rail" gave permission to drop the slurry / wastewater / whatever down the road ramp at Hartford.

As Network Rail are not the station operator or managing landowner (the TOC are) - Mr Network Rail would not be allowed to grant that permission, suggesting the usual local rag public commentators are being as accurate as always. Surprised they didn't also try blame Cyclists, Travellers, the cost of car parking and err 'persons in unlit car parks at night flashing headlights' as per usual.

Whilst it's probably an error of judgement, I'm imagining our reporter Mr Partridge on his canal boat being hit by a deceased cow from an overbridge.

 

[richw]

I wonder how the Tractor driver would feel if someone sprayed thousands of gallons of liquid **** through his letterbox

Try reading the whole thread including the update. You’ll realise your comment isn’t accurate as it was actually flood water he’d pumped from round the town and he was emptying it where he was instructed to by someone of authority

 

[Whistler40145]

Try reading the whole thread including the update. You’ll realise your comment isn’t accurate as it was actually flood water he’d pumped from round the town and he was emptying it where he was instructed to by someone of authority

Local rag at it's best lol

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Local rag at it's best lol

Indeed so - commonly known as Fake News.

 

[dubscottie]

Indeed so - commonly known as Fake News.

Yes.. Every single item in the press is false. But anything on Facebook etc is 100‰ true.
Sure Doris down the road posted it and her nephew knows a guy whose sister goes out with a bloke that went to school with the guy that sold the tractor to a farmer that's gone bust so he sold it to the council and they sold that to an unknown bloke from Norway and he dumped the water on the line.

The plots on Allo Allo were simpler.

 

[Energy]

and he was emptying it where he was instructed to by someone of authority

Seems like a lack of communication or just a 'not my problem' from the local authority by telling the farmers to dump it at the station without telling NR. Unfortunately sending flood water to the railways (or just not fixing the road which is dumping it on the tracks) isn't that uncommon as it is NR who deal with it instead of the local council.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Perhaps the tractor driver was under the impression that he had permission from a relevent authority.
Perhaps the Network Rail Route Director responded hastily, not knowing that one of his staff had given permission.

I'm sure it will be investigated and resolved.

I'm sure that the Environment Agency and Local Authority have various emergency powers to deal with immediate threats to property and life. Whether instructing an uninsured third party contractor to dump waste material of unknown composition onto third party land without supervision and where members of the public may be present and unaware of said dumping is one of those powers I know not.

As this thread is starting to read like the public comments site on all local rags, I'm out.

 

[Nottingham59]

contractor

By all accounts it was a volunteer, trying to help in an emergency

unknown composition

Seems to have been just flood water.