A COUNCIL chief has called for a safety review of the level crossing where an 85-year-old grandmother drove on to the railway tracks.

There were almost two hours of delay on the Dorset to London Waterloo railway line last Thursday when a pensioner turned on to the tracks at Brockenhurst and drove her Renault Clio 80 yards along the railway line.

Hampshire County Council leader Cllr Ken Thornber said he would be asking highway workers to check if safety measures could be put in place.

“It was shocking,” he said.

“There should be a look at what the authorities can do.”

In September 1997, a woman was saved from her car by the driver of a passing breakdown truck after she drove on to the tracks in exactly the same spot.

Cllr Thornber, who represents Brockenhurst as a county councillor, wants to see if others can be prevented from making the same mistake.

“After passing the tracks, one turning goes to the car park and, only yards later, another goes to Brookley Road,” he said.

“We’ve got to, in some way shape or form, prevent what could have been tragic for the driver and rail passengers.

“I’m going to be asking our highways managers to have a look at it.”

Transport police believe the woman was taking her 20-year-old grandson to the station when she took a wrong turn and drove along the line towards the platform.

The car had to be removed by a crane after the shaken-up pair were rescued and checked by paramedics.

A Network Rail spokesman said: “The level crossing is already very clearly marked and we are not considering making any changes to it as a result of this incident.”