Reward over explosive train stunt

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/6263985.stm

Version 0 of 1.

A train company has offered a reward for the identity of an employee who leaked details of an MoD train packed with explosives to a newspaper.

The Daily Mirror sent a reporter to a high-security yard to plant a fake bomb on an unguarded train packed with shells, grenades and mortar bombs.

EWS Railways has offered a £5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of anyone who leaked details.

The stunt took place at Didcot Parkway station, Oxfordshire.

No ID papers

Undercover reporter Tom Parry and photographer Roger Allen walked off the mainline platform and walked over to the train as it waited in sidings, the Daily Mirror said.

It said neither of the men had ID papers but were only wearing orange overalls and hard hats similar to those worn by bona-fide railway workers. They were not challenged by railway staff.

The paper said these items were easily available from hardware stores.

All EWS employees involved in these trains adhere to the Official Secrets Act EWS railways statement

"Using the information provided by this railway employee, the journalist accessed Didcot yard at 0430 on Friday 12 January 2007 by trespassing on a high speed mainline railway, placing himself and others in extreme danger," EWS Railways said in a statement.

The train was reportedly on its way to a Royal Navy transport ship at Marchwood, Hants, which would then deliver the ordnance to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The newspaper said it held the stunt to highlight the poor security on the MoD train. It follows a similar expose six months ago involving trains carrying nuclear waste to Sellafield.

EWS Railways said: "The Daily Mirror has informed EWS that they were provided with this information from a railway employee. The paper confirmed that this employee does not work for EWS.

"All EWS employees involved in these trains adhere to the Official Secrets Act. In the 10 years EWS has operated these services, there has never been a security breach," it said.

"In addition, any employee in the rail industry who is involved in and aware of information relating to these services is also covered by the Official Secrets Act."

A railway source quoted by the paper said it was "breathtakingly easy" to get access to the ammunition trains.

Both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats criticised the train's security, the Daily Mirror reported.