Man accused of damaging railway crossing

A FORMER Hadleigh man is due to appear in court charged with causing damage valued at more than �17,000 to a railway crossing.

Richard Waring, previously of Benton Street, is charged with criminal damage after a Land Rover Discovery went through the barriers at Church Street, Kelvedon.

The alleged offence occurred just after 4pm last Monday as a Liverpool Street to Ipswich train was approaching the intersection. As the barriers came down the vehicle is said to have driven through them after previously being parked on the crossing.

The damage caused to the barriers was valued at �17,600.

Waring, whose address is listed as Rivenhall Hotel, London Road, Rivenhall End, is also accused of breaching an order not to contact his ex-partner in Suffolk.

The alleged offence is again said to have taken place last Monday.

Waring was arrested at Marks Tey the same day.

No pleas were entered to either charge when the architect appeared in court for his first hearing at Colchester Magistrates' Court last week where he was remanded in custody.

The 56-year-old then appeared at a further hearing before Harwich magistrates where he was given conditional bail.

Waring is now due to appear before magistrates in Colchester on March 13.

A date for a proposed hearing for committal to Chelmsford Crown Court has been scheduled for April 17.

The drama at Kelvedon crossing led onlookers calling 999 as the passenger train was approaching.

A spokesman for Network Rail said the incident had set off a sensor in the barrier, which immediately flagged up the problem at the crossing.

Workers were sent to the site and spent around 40 minutes putting the barrier back on to its hinges.

Trains using the line while the repair work was carried out, slowed down as they passed the site to ensure the safety of the engineers. However, there were no significant delays for commuters.

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