RAIL bosses are considering closing the crossing at Charlton where three people were killed last July.

A 25-year-old Iraqi is this week starting a five-year prison sentence following the deaths of the workers when he drove a minibus into the path of a 90mph express train at Pools Crossing on Whitehouse farm.

Adnan Kakir Karim was unqualified, unlicensed and uninsured when the crash occurred. He denied manslaughter but was found guilty by a jury at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Monday.

Spokeswoman for Network Rail, Jo Smyth said the company would be in talks with Simms and Woods as authorised users of the crossing to look into the possibility of closing it. She said: "We are arranging a meeting with the authorised users to discuss whether it might be possible to close the crossing permanently. "

She said the decision would depend on whether an alternative crossing could be found in which case the track would be fenced off.

Immediately following this incident Network Rail carried out its own investigation and came up with some recommendations for improvements to the crossing. They included the repositioning of the speed restriction signs and the whistle sign at the crossing to improve visibility for foot users, and improvements to the nearby underpass.

Earlier this week mid Worcestershire MP Peter Luff, who was on the London bound train when the collision occurred, called for lessons to be learned.

He said: "What matters now is that the circumstances that led up to the crash are not repeated. The tragedy is with the families concerned. How much greater tragedy could have occurred if the minibus had not simply been struck a glancing blow by the train.

"Had it been further across the tracks probably everyone in the minibus would have been killed and the train itself would have been derailed with heaven knows what consequences."

Detective chief inspector David Lester of the British Transport police said: "This is a particularly tragic case. Three people are dead as a result of the recklessness of Mr Karim. This incident goes to show how important it is for motorists to respect the railways and adhere to warning signs."