AN?INVESTIGATION?has been carried out into an incident where three young children were stranded at Petersfield station.
Railway staff have been consulted and CCTV footage studied by South West Trains following a complaint from the two mothers of the children, who were aged seven, six and five.
They said the doors closed too quickly for them to leave the train after their daughters alighted. Joanne Draycott (29) and Jody Samworth (31) are now appealing to the couple who looked after the youngsters on the afternoon of Sunday, July 24, to come forward to be thanked.
A South West Trains spokesman said passenger safety was always paramount, and apologised for the distress caused. The mothers would be contacted.
“From the CCTV footage it appears that the two women remained seated for some time after the train arrived at Petersfield and that the children got off the train without being accompanied by an adult,” she said. “The guard was unware that the two mothers were intending to leave the train and, as a result, he continued to dispatch the train in line with normal procedures.”
Passengers should always be ready to get off the train and accompany children.