Rail freight operator fined £180,000 three years after teen was electrocuted at abandoned depot

A rail freight operator has been fined £180,000 after a 13-year-old boy was electrocuted and killed at a rail depot in Liverpool.

Liam Gill had climbed onto the roof of an abandoned train wagon at Allerton rail depot on August 9, 2009, and was electrocuted by a 25,000 volt overhead power line.

Liam and two friends, who were left with severe burns, got into the disused depot through a gap in the boundary fence.

English, Welsh and Scottish Railways International (EWSI) was last week fined £180,000 and ordered to pay costs of £59,554 following a prosecution brought by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) for breaches of health and safety law.

EWSI was found to have failed to adequately prevent trespass on the depot by not ensuring the boundary fence was maintained. The judge at Liverpool Crown Court also found that the company had failed to carry out a legally required assessment of the safety risks, failed to secure the wagons to prevent trespassers, and did not ensure appropriate security patrols were in place.

EWSI pleaded guilty to two charges relating to these failings at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court in autumn 2011.

Ian Raxton, ORR’s principal inspector, said: “This was a devastating incident. Liam Gill’s tragic death and the serious injury of two teenage boys could have been prevented. My thoughts are with Liam’s family and all those involved in this incident.

“Liam’s death was caused by EWSI’s failure to manage safety risks at the site. The judge found that EWSI was aware that trespassing was taking place at the depot yet did not take sufficient steps to prevent unauthorised access to the site. It is also totally unacceptable to leave unused high voltage overhead cables switched on in a largely abandoned depot which is known to be accessed by trespassers.

“However, there is no denying that Liam and his two friends should not have been trespassing on Allerton rail depot. Trespass on the railway poses serious safety risks. The rail industry spends a great deal of time attempting to educate young people, as well as to ensure suitable security on the network. Despite this effort, more must be done.

“Fifty-three trespass fatalities were reported in the last year alone and where there are known risks there is no excuse for companies to not take appropriate action against trespass.”