Police have yet to track down the driver of a car which smashed through a level crossing as a train was approaching, more than a month after it happened.

Officers have previously been criticised for their "lazy" response to the incident, at Spooner Row on April 6, which saw a Ford Ranger crash through the closed barriers moments before a passenger train was due to pass.

Police have been given dashcam footage of the incident and even the licence plate of the vehicle, as it flew off due to the impact and landed in a nearby garden.

They have also spoken to people who were in the nearby pub, the Boars, where the driver had been involved in a row shortly before the crash and where he had driven off from.

However, they have yet to speak to the motorist himself.

A spokesman for British Transport Police, which is leading the inquiry, said the registered owner of the vehicle had been sent a letter saying the force intends to launch a prosecution - but officers have not received a reply.

"Enquiries are ongoing to locate the driver," the spokesman added.
 

Eastern Daily Press: A pickup was captured ploughing through a level crossing throwing debris into the airA pickup was captured ploughing through a level crossing throwing debris into the air (Image: Submitted)

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The letter - a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) - gives the recipient 28 days to respond, but that period has now passed.

When it emerged that the police response to the incident had been to send a letter, locals living in the village reacted with anger.

They pointed out how much evidence of the crash had been handed over to them and questioned why officers had simply not gone to the owner's address.

One said: "I would at least have expected officers to pay the owner a visit and try to find out a bit more about such a shocking incident.

"This seems a very lazy way to investigate what happened."

Eastern Daily Press: A level crossing has been destroyed after a 4x4 was seen ploughing through the barriers A level crossing has been destroyed after a 4x4 was seen ploughing through the barriers (Image: Sonya Duncan)

Witnesses said they saw the driver of the vehicle embroiled in an argument at the nearby Boars pub before leaving abruptly and getting behind the wheel of the truck.

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They claim the vehicle actually sped up as it approached the level crossing.

As the car smashed through the barriers, neighbours living nearby were almost hit by flying debris, including the vehicle's licence plate.

One villager acted quickly and raised the alarm on the crossing's emergency phone, allowing the approaching train to come to a halt just before it reached the debris.

The force has declined to give any further information about the state of its investigation.