MORE than a decade after pleas to close a footpath over a railway line were turned down, a fresh tragedy has sparked calls for action.

Dave Boycott died after being hit by a train as he was trying to pull his dog from a pedestrian crossing over the railway by Jamaica Road on Sunday.

His death follows that of two pensioners in separate incidents on the crossing 13 years ago.

Lily Tandy, aged 70, of Jamaica Road, died in 1988 as she was crossing the railway and Frank Shelton, 67, of Bosbury Road, died there nine months later.

A petition was set up to try and get the crossing closed but British Rail refused to close it, saying too many people wanted it to remain open.

Valerie Bumphrey, Mr Shelton's daughter, said Mr Boycott's death had unleashed all the old wounds.

"How many more people have to die before they get something done?" she asked.

Joyce Tandy, of Jamaica Crescent, said the issue was close to her heart as Lily Tandy was her cousin's wife. She called for an underpass to be installed.

"At least that would keep the path open," she said.

Sir Michael Spicer campaigned for something to be done ten years ago. Now he has taken up the issue again and written to Steve Marshall, chief executive of Railtrack, asking, at the very least, for warning lights to be installed for pedestrians.

"I'm absolutely horrified by this," he said, adding that he was very concerned that children were playing on the line.

"If that's the case we've got to make sure that's looked at in the next few weeks," he said.

Lou Tate, spokesman for Railtrack, said the crossing met the requirements set down by the health and safety executive.

"Of course this will be taken into consideration when an assessment is next done," he said.