Parking ticket fury as drivers stuck during Bedford train crash are slapped with penalties

 A passenger who was stuck in a train behind the Bedford crash has been left seething after being handed a parking ticket. The passenger claimed he was under strict instructions to go straight home after being evacuated onto the tracks.

But when he returned to collect his vehicle in the morning, he was shocked to find a parking ticket waiting for him. He posted to X, formerly known as Twitter: "Why are you issuing parking tickets to cars at Bedford train station after [the] major incident? Police were telling people NOT to go to the station! How were we supposed to collect our cars? Or extend parking?"

A follow-up post continued: "And to mention, I was stuck on the train behind the collision for three hours, evacuated onto the tracks then told to get home but I can't collect my car! Got to the station this morning to find a ticket. Common sense and discretion seem to be missing here!"

Conservative Councillor/Parliamentary Candidate Joe Rich took to X to share his opinion on the parking ticket issue. He said: "The car parking tickets issued to travellers delayed by the train crash at Bedford are an exemplar of modern life in statist Labour-run Britain. The people responsible should be castigated and made to pay the fines themselves."

The Bedford crash took place shortly after 5.15pm on Friday, June 19 and involved a Luton Airport Express train and a stationary East Midland Railway service. Tragically, it killed train driver Shaun Burton, 60, left nine people in critical condition, and injured 100 more.

It occurred just south of the Elstow interchange between the A421 and the A6 and saw a large emergency response with air ambulances and fire engines sent to the scene. Disruptions between London and Bedford are expected to last a week, with commuters being told to avoid the area as 600 metres of track is replaced.

Network Rail says it was a "tragic, isolated incident" and a "complex recovery operation" will take place to remove the damaged trains and carriages. British Transport Police said more than 80 people were treated in hospital on Friday night, and as of Saturday morning, 28 remained in hospital. Of the 100 injured people, 11 were very seriously injured, a further 32 were seriously hurt, and 57 others suffered minor injuries, the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAS) said.

Tributes have also flooded in for Shaun Burton. His devastated family shared a statement through British Transport Police (BTP) that said: "We are devastated by his loss.

"Our thoughts are also with those affected by this incident." They have asked for their privacy to be respected while they deal with their loss. BTP added: "Our thoughts continue to be with them and his colleagues at East Midlands Railway."

Dave Calfe, general secretary of Aslef, the train drivers' union, said: "We are all heartbroken by the death of Shaun Burton which leaves a hole in the lives of his family, friends, and colleagues, which will never be filled.

"Shaun, a driver at East Midlands Railway, joined the railway relatively late in life. He loved public transport - he used to work on buses and coaches - before he became a train driver seven years ago.

"He was dedicated to the job, and devoted to his colleagues and enormously popular at his depot. The railway family grieves his passing; no-one should go off to work in the morning and not come home. Our thoughts are with his family and friends tonight."