THE owner of the mini railway in Poole Park where a carriage derailed is claiming it was deliberately sabotaged.

Chris Bullen says the incident last Monday (March 23) in which the third carriage toppled over and a person had to be checked over at hospital, was no accident.

Borough of Poole stepped in immediately it happened on the third trip of the day around the lake and temporarily closed the popular railway while an investigation is carried out.

“We are 99.9 per cent sure after the second run on the day somebody has actually jammed a big piece of wood in the points. As the train went across by the little bridge, it derailed the rear carriage and it has rocked over,” said Chris.

“We are asking people to be vigilant in the park and to report anything untoward.

“It is almost certainly malicious. The train has been running for decades and there has never been any problem. It’s safe as houses. To run these things you have to have so many safety inspections.”

He said he was sickened by the thought that someone had deliberately sought to damage the train and endanger its passengers, most of whom are children.

“It would almost be better if we could put it down to a mechanical failure we could put right. Someone has done this on purpose.”

A safety run is carried out every morning before passengers are carried and the track is also walked, he said.

He added that a piece of wood was found afterwards, which showed signs of having been jammed into the points to stop them turning.

Borough of Poole was not prepared to make any further comment while officers are investigating the circumstances of the incident.

“We are conducting a thorough investigation to makes sure the incident does not occur again and we hope to give the operator permission to re-open as soon as we are able,” said Kevin McErlane, head of culture and community learning.

“We appreciate the public’s patience whilst this service is out of action.”

The miniature railway has been running round the lake in Poole Park since 1949, delighting thousands of youngsters and their parents each year.