Police are looking for five 'mystery' rail workers seen on the tracks near Potters Bar station hours before the devastating crash on May 10.

Five men wearing orange high-visibility jackets were seen in the vicinity of the faulty points which were blamed for the derailment around four hours before the crash.

According to the BBC, the five people were captured on CCTV cameras and seen by other workers at 8.25am four and a half hours before the crash.

Chief Superintendent Paul Crowther who is leading the investigation, said: "It's an important part of the inquiry to talk to everyone who was in the area or who has done work in the area. We are continuing to make enquiries with Railtrack and Jarvis, but so far have been unable to trace these five men.

"This was just a few hours before the crash, so these men may have been the last people to actually view the points. It's quite possible that they were doing something completely unrelated, but we need to establish what they were doing there and find out what they can tell us."

Jarvis, which was responsible for maintaining the track, believes that the loose nuts on the points must have been due to sabotage. Police are still saying this is unlikely.

Seven people were killed and 76 injured in the incident when the 12.45 King's Cross to King's Lynn WAGN service derailed just south of Potters Bar station.

Anyone with information should contact British Transport Police on 020 7391 5275.

June 14, 2002 17:30