A train was "two seconds" from crashing into a HGV on a level crossing on a railway line that runs through Powys.

The engineering train was signalled over the Craven Arms level crossing while the barriers were raised at about 10am on July 22 this year.

But the crossing remained open to road traffic, and a HGV crossed as the train approached. It put its emergency brake on, meaning it missed a collision with the lorry by just two seconds.

Six seconds after applying the brake the train came to a halt over the crossing. Nobody was injured in the incident, and the HGV driver was unaware of the near-miss. The train was travelling at about 15mph at the time.

The details have been revealed in a report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch, which said the train was on the line to check the loop of railway near the crossing.

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However, the signaller had not received the email which said so three days beforehand, and felt they had to rush to get the train through to prevent it coming to a standstill.

As a result they used an override system which is usually only reserved for failure or maintenance work.

The report also showed that the override system, or local control unit, door had been opened 359 times since 22 November 2021, suggesting it was a routine operation.

An automatic warning light came on the crossing as the train approached, but the HGV cab had already passed it at that time.