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| Gas tanker crashes on to railway | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A propane gas tanker has crashed over a bridge and plunged 50ft on to a railway at a market town in County Durham. | |
| Flammable gas is reported to be leaking from the tanker on the Weardale Railway just outside Wolsingham and an exclusion zone is in place. | |
| Homes and a caravan park have been evacuated and the A689 has been closed. | |
| The driver was thrown from the cab and has been flown to hospital by air ambulance. The extent of his injuries is unclear. | |
| Police and fire crews are at the scene. | |
| Steam trains | |
| Chris Hockaday, from the County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, said: "It's gone through a wall and dropped about fifty feet on to the Weardale railway track. | Chris Hockaday, from the County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, said: "It's gone through a wall and dropped about fifty feet on to the Weardale railway track. |
| "One male occupant, who was the driver, was thrown from the vehicle and has since been recovered by fire service personnel, who wore breathing apparatus just in case there was a gas leak." | "One male occupant, who was the driver, was thrown from the vehicle and has since been recovered by fire service personnel, who wore breathing apparatus just in case there was a gas leak." |
| He said the man was flown by air ambulance and emergency teams were waiting for Calor to send another tanker to drain the one that has crashed. | He said the man was flown by air ambulance and emergency teams were waiting for Calor to send another tanker to drain the one that has crashed. |
| A welder's van exploded in the town in May | A welder's van exploded in the town in May |
| "We've also involved the Environment Agency just in case there's any diesel left in the tanker that could possibly get into the water courses, the nearby river." | "We've also involved the Environment Agency just in case there's any diesel left in the tanker that could possibly get into the water courses, the nearby river." |
| The Weardale Railway runs steam trains on a five-mile stretch of restored track between Stanhope and Wolsingham Station, which is close to the scene. | The Weardale Railway runs steam trains on a five-mile stretch of restored track between Stanhope and Wolsingham Station, which is close to the scene. |
| In a statement the company said: "There will be no further services on Weardale Railway until further notice and we apologise to our passengers for any inconvenience this may cause. | |
| "We have appointed an incident manager and have alerted the Rail Accident Investigation Board and Her Majesty's Rail Inspectorate. | |
| "We will not be able to assess the damage until the site of the accident has been declared safe by the fire brigade and the tanker removed from the track." | |
| Local resident Bill Hobson said: "We first became aware of the situation because we are close by and were asked to stay on site rather than leave the area. | Local resident Bill Hobson said: "We first became aware of the situation because we are close by and were asked to stay on site rather than leave the area. |
| "We are feeling quite safe and confident about the way the police are handling the situation, so we are keeping out of the way. | "We are feeling quite safe and confident about the way the police are handling the situation, so we are keeping out of the way. |
| "They haven't let us know when things will return to normal." | "They haven't let us know when things will return to normal." |
| He added that while there were steep hills in the area it was not noted as a danger spot. | He added that while there were steep hills in the area it was not noted as a danger spot. |
| In May, a van containing gas cylinders exploded in the town's market place, killing the driver and causing widespread damage to both residential and commercial properties. | In May, a van containing gas cylinders exploded in the town's market place, killing the driver and causing widespread damage to both residential and commercial properties. |
| Have you been caught up in events? Are you in the area? If you have any information you would like to share with the BBC you can do so using the form below. | Have you been caught up in events? Are you in the area? If you have any information you would like to share with the BBC you can do so using the form below. |
| You can send pictures and video to: yourpics@bbc.co.uk or to send via MMS please dial 61124. | You can send pictures and video to: yourpics@bbc.co.uk or to send via MMS please dial 61124. |
| Do not endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. | Do not endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. |
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