Tributes to driver killed in Bedford train crash

The family of the driver killed in the Bedford train crash have said they are devastated by his death, while a union leader has called it heartbreaking.

Shaun Burton, 60, died following Friday's collision between two London-bound services, in which 100 people were injured.

In a tribute released by British Transport Police (BTP), his family said: "We are devastated by his loss. Our thoughts are also with those affected by this incident."

Dave Calfe, general secretary of train driver union Aslef, said: "We are all heartbroken by the death of Shaun Burton, which leaves a hole in the lives of his family, friends and colleagues that will never be filled."

He said Burton had joined the railway "relatively late in life", having worked on buses and coaches before becoming a train driver seven years ago.

"He was dedicated to the job, devoted to his colleagues and enormously popular at his depot," Calfe continued.

"The railway family grieves his passing; no-one should go off to work in the morning and not come home."

A major incident was declared when two EMR services to London St Pancras collided at 17:15 BST, just south of Elstow, near the road interchange of the A421 and A6.

Eleven people were very seriously injured, a further 32 were described as injured and 57 had minor injuries, East of England Ambulance Service confirmed.

Police said 28 people remained in hospital, including nine in a critical condition.

The two trains involved were the 16:40 from Corby in Northamptonshire and the 15:50 service from Nottingham.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch, which is working with British Transport Police to establish the circumstances of the crash, expects to provide an update in the coming days.

Trains have been disrupted since the incident, with EMR suspending services to and from London St Pancras over the weekend.

Thameslink has urged passengers to travel only if necessary.

Network Rail said the line between Bedford and Luton was expected to remain closed until 28 June while repair work and investigations continued.

Brett Byatt, who had been travelling to St Pancras from Bedford when the crash occurred, said other passengers "went flying into one another" after the collision.

He told BBC Breakfast he heard a "boom" followed by "shrieks and groans of pain" after the collision.

Network Rail said a "complex recovery operation" had begun to remove the damaged trains from the railway.

Engineers have started to build a temporary access road to allow them to use two 110-tonne rail-mounted cranes to lift the vehicles from the site.

Before that can be done, engineers must first dismantle the overhead power lines.

Once the trains have been removed, engineers will assess and repair any damage to the track before reinstating the overhead lines and carrying out final safety checks ahead of reopening the route.