A LEVEL crossing in Yarnton with a history of problems has stopped working after a dead bird got stuck on the track.

The barriers of the Sandy Lane level crossing are stuck down, stopping traffic from crossing the railway line.

This has led to delays on Sandy Lane.

Network Rail spokeswoman Victoria Bradley said: “There was a track circuit failure caused by a bird that got caught in a set of points.

“The presence of the dead bird caused a sensor to read that there was a train in the area when there wasn’t.

“After the bird was removed it transpired it had caused some damage to the track system, which is currently being repaired by a group of engineers who are on site now.

“Trains are anticipated to be on the move within the next half an hour.”

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In November 2013 a woman was injured when a car was hit by a train at the crossing and in January of the same year 85-year-old Tom Pizzey was killed there.

He was a passenger in a car which was struck by a train.