High winds damage Carleton Crossing barrier leaving it stuck closed for hours in Poulton
A faulty level crossing that caused disruption in Poulton was damaged by strong winds, Network Rail has confirmed.
Drivers faced delays on yesterday afternoon after Carleton Crossing became stuck closed, leading to congestion on surrounding roads.
Network Rail said it was first alerted to the issue at around midday and sent engineers to investigate.
A spokesperson said: “We were first made aware of the fault at Carleton level crossing at around 12 noon yesterday (25 March). We sent a team to investigate and found that the crossing barrier had been damaged due to high winds.
“Our team were able to repair the barrier and reopen the crossing at around 6pm.”
To allow repairs to be carried out safely, the railway line was briefly closed during the afternoon, contributing to the length of the disruption.
The incident came as severe weather swept across the Fylde coast and wider Lancashire area, bringing strong winds, heavy rain and hail.
The same spell of weather caused widespread disruption across the rail network, with trees falling onto tracks and damaging overhead lines near Bolton.
This led to major disruption for passengers travelling between Blackpool and Manchester, with services cancelled or delayed throughout the day.
Flood alerts also remained in place across parts of Wyre as river levels stayed high following heavy rain.