Two Men Sought After Stolen Truck Hit By Train

15 October 2015, 12:31 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

Police are looking for two men after a stolen pick-up truck was hit by a train near Uphall station in West Lothian.

The red Toyota Hilux was stolen from a nearby garage shortly before the crash on Wednesday.

It was seen at about 5pm being driven erratically on a road adjacent to the Edinburgh to Glasgow (via Bathgate) rail line.

The truck appears to have gone out of control and rolled down the embankment before coming to a stop on its roof, police said.

Shortly after that, the 16.39 Edinburgh to Milngavie service, travelling at around 75mph, hit the vehicle.

The pick-up was extensively damaged but the train was not derailed

A female passenger had a grazed arm. The train's driver was uninjured.

British Transport Police (BTP) are looking for two men believed to be in their late teens to early 20s.

One of the men, seen fleeing from the pick-up truck after it came to a stop - at a place known locally as the Roman Camp - is described as being aged between 18 and 27, about 5ft 9in, slim to medium build with short dark brown hair. He was wearing a dark top and jeans.

The other man is described as being aged 18 to 20, between 5ft 6in and 5ft 9in tall and of slim build. He was wearing a light grey hooded top and was in possession of a black phone.

The truck was removed from the line around 2.30am and rail services have now returned to normal.

Superintendent Kyle Gordon said: "I cannot stress enough the seriousness of the incident and the potential circumstances of the two men's actions do not bear thinking about.

"Thankfully no-one was seriously injured. However, many people were inconvenienced and the rail network was disrupted for several hours.

"Anyone who witnessed the incident or who recognises the two men from the descriptions is urged to get in touch.''