Funding finally promised to replace level crossing after deaths, crashes and near misses
The project could now cost more than £6m
Hello and welcome to the midweek edition of The Southport Lead.
Last February, we reported that years after first promising to do so, Network Rail had allocated no money to replacing the level crossing on Crescent Road despite a series of deaths, crashes and near misses.
Unlike in many other locations, the barriers on the busy crossing - which sees thousand of vehicles pass through every day - only cover half of the road on each side and there have been a number of documented incidents in which people have entered the tracks either through impatience or unawareness. Indeed, when I visited last year to take a photo of the site, I immediately witnessed a cyclist weave around the dropped barriers rather than stop and wait.
Today’s newsletter focuses on how the long wait for funding finally appears to be over.
Southport briefing
🚗 A Southport man has been charged after a phone and wallet were stolen from cars. Merseyside Police said that across April 9th and 10th, it was reported the items were taken from vehicles in the Meols Cop area and Mark Shaw, of Park Avenue, was later arrested. The 53-year-old has now been charged with two counts of theft from a motor vehicle, two counts of vehicle interference and fraud. Chief Superintendent Karl Baldwin, who is Sefton Area Commander, said: “We understand the impact that theft can have on a victim and how it can also affect a local community, particularly when there are multiple reported incidents in the same area. We act on information we receive and would encourage people to come forward if they know anything about a burglary or theft where they live.”
❤️ More than £7,000 was raised to support children dealing with grief at an event at Victoria Park. Hundreds of people attended a Comedy Bingo event to raise funds for Bebe’s Hive, the charity set up in memory of Bebe King. During the night, it was announced that the charity will host a new event - Bebe’s Ozdust Ball - in November. Bebe’s Hive was launched last year to offer a safe, creative place for children to explore grief in their own way and will soon operate from a former shop unit in Cambridge Arcade, near to the Town Hall Gardens will be undergo a £10m redevelopment involving the families of Bebe and her fellow attack victims Elsie Dot Stancome and Alice da Silva Aguiar. Bebe’s Hive is now looking forward to World Bee Day, when they’ll be encouraging everyone to Wear Yellow For Bebe on Wednesday 20th May 2026 in a coming together of colour, kindness, and remembrance.
🥚 Two people have been arrested after police witnessed a drug dealing take place on Lord Street. Last Friday, officers noticed two people acting suspiciously and when they approached the pair, a woman ran inside a hotel where she was arrested after inadvertently leading officers to drugs. Inside a room, police found 170 wraps of cocaine hidden inside a Kinder Egg along with a phone and cash, while the man seen during the initial dealing was also found to be carrying the drug. A 52-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman from Southport were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs, suspected cocaine and have since been released under investigation pending further enquiries. Sefton’s Area Commander, Karl Baldwin said: “Officers from the Southport Neighbourhood Team and the Southport Town Centre Team, acting on community information, launched a proactive operation to tackle this issue head on. Despite these initial arrests, we know there is more to do. The operation will continue, targeting all criminality but focussing on those involved in serious and organised crime. Serious organised crime gangs are closely linked to serious violence, often using weapons such as firearms or knives, which is why it’s so important we tackle it relentlessly. Stop searches, warrants, land searches and arrests take place all year round, and in many instances, it is thanks to the public who tell us where there are issues in the community. If you have information on drug dealing and criminality in your area let us know and we will take action.”
Funding finally promised to replace level crossing after deaths, crashes and near misses
By Jamie Lopez
A level crossing where three people died will finally be replaced by Network Rail - six years and several near misses after it first promised to do so.
The railway network owner has confirmed it is finally progressing with plans to upgrade the crossing at Crescent Road, with final design work now taking place.
Promises were first made more than half a decade ago to improve the crossing - which currently only has barriers covering half of the road on each side - but last year, The Southport Lead reported that no funding had ever been allocated to the scheme.
It is now understood that this has now changed but cost estimates have significantly risen in that time and could cost more than £6m, compared to £4m when a risk assessment was carried out in 2019. At the time, the assessment stated: “While the cost is exceptionally high, the long term drop in risk makes it a viable option for end of life replacement.”
An interim measure has seen pedestrian crossing lights added to the site at eye-level and Network Rail says it is now progressing with a major upgrade.
The crossing’s tragic history dates back to 2017 when a young man died by suicide after accessing the tracks there. In 2019, 24-year-old Flur McDonald died in the same circumstances and a petition set up by her brother asking for full barriers received the support of more than 1,000 people. In July of that year, it was uncovered that a full barrier replacement had been recommended back in 2016 but not carried out.
Tragedy occurred again in the form of another death in 2022 and renewed pleas were made for upgraded safety measures but still no funding was allocated to take the project forward.
It is not just deliberate entries to the track that have prompted concern and throughout the previous decade, the site has also seen a number of near misses which would have been prevented had full barriers been in place. According to Network Rail’s own records, these include multiple near misses involving vehicles “zigzagging” through the dropped barriers as trains approached.
