A bid to put pressure on the Government to hold a public inquiry into the Potters Bar rail crash, launched by The Barnett Press, has attracted almost 700 supporters.

The readers have signed up since the anniversary of the derailment – on May 10 – when the campaign started with a full front page featuring photographs of all seven people who lost their lives. There were also interviews with the bereaved families and crash victims, all supporting the need for a major investigation into what went wrong.

The week after the launch, The Press used a full front page picture from a memorial service with the headline: “Now Give Us Justice”.

And in the third week there was a significant boost when Jarvis, the company in charge of rail maintenance around Potters Bar, signed up.

Editor Simon Jones said: “It seems ludicrous that, one year after the disaster, the Government still has not announced plans for a public inquiry.

“Many of the victims’ families have told us that they need to know why the crash occurred to help the bereavement process. What’s more, the whole country needs to know why it occurred so we can learn the lessons.”

The Barnet Press intends to hand over the final petition to Transport Secretary Alistair Darling in July. Simon said: “By that time we would have built-up a dossier which Mr Darling and other ministers will find very hard to turn down.

“The campaign has been a great example of excellence in the regional press, particularly local weekly newspapers, and it is a great testament of the work of our three Barnet reporters, not least chief reporter Joseph Lee, who initiated it and has done so much to get us where we are now.”

The paper printed a coupon in all three editions inviting people to sign the petition. The petitions are also being posted at King’s Cross and Potters Bar stations.

The Barnet Press is part of North London & Herts Newspapers, which publishes four editions across north London: paid-for The Enfield Gazette, and free papers the Enfield Advertiser, Barnet Press and Haringey Advertiser. NLH is a division of Trinity Mirror Southern.

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