Door flies off express train

Safety checks on express trains were ordered after a guard's van door flew off as the Birmingham to Manchester train passed through a tunnel near Macclesfield, Cheshire.

A solicitor representing families of people who have died in falls from trains said the incident was significant as British Rail has always denied doors can fly off 'on their own'. An InterCity spokeswoman said: 'We have not yet had an explanation why this should have happened. This was a guard's van door which opens inwards and it is a different system to passenger doors.'