The European Union’s leading transport politician and North West Euro MP Brian Simpson has accused Network Rail of treating Britain’s railways ‘like a rubbish tip’ and called on them to not only tidy up our railways but to improve working practices to ensure a proper clean up when work is completed.

In a letter to Network Rail, Mr Simpson highlights the amount of rubbish left by the tracks, the lack of weed control measures, the problem of graffiti and a contractors culture of just leaving things ‘hanging around’.

“My own particular region is badly afflicted with this railway rubbish dump mentality.  Be it the West Coast Line from Crewe to Carlisle, Trans Pennine or local branch lines, the railway is full of rubbish and clutter and a lot of it is the railways own rubbish” said Mr. Simpson.

A recent incident highlighted the problem when contractors rubbish was placed on the line causing a derailment.  Mr Simpson however fears that cutback in the money given to Network Rail will only make the matter worse and believes that the organisation charged with providing the nationals railway infrastructure ‘do not see this aspect as being important’.

“Any look outside the window on a train journey clearly highlights the problems.  Bits of rail and old sleepers haphazardly strewn by the side of tract, graffiti on walls and bridges and vegetation growing not only from the trackbed but viaducts and bridges also means that Britain’s railways resemble a giant rubbish tip”, said the Labour MEP who is Chairman of the European Parliaments Transport Committee.