LESS than a fortnight after the horrific scenes near Paddington, where dozens of people lost their lives, the unthinkable has happened again.

At 19.19 two trains collided outside Lewes. One was empty, but the other contained eleven passengers.

The front carriage of the passenger train was derailed, lights went out and the commuters were jolted in their seats.

Thankfully, nobody was killed in last night's accident and it seems only minor injuries have been sustained.

But that does not excuse the fact this must have been a terrifying ordeal for the commuters. One which may take them many months to overcome.

They may have no physical scars, but their mental anguish will live with them for some time.

This latest incident raises more questions about the state of our railways, coming so soon after the tragic events near Paddington.

Rail safety, it seems, can no longer be taken for granted and the public will be seeking assurances this will never happen again.

Already two MPs are calling for a public inquiry into the crash and this is the very least we should expect.

When Norman Baker and Michael Foster meet with Government ministers today, they must ensure action is taken to find out exactly what happened last night.

The rail travelling public expects no less.

PRICE OF FAILURE

Disgraced health boss Clive Uren won't be short of cash when he starts his early retirement.

He's going to get a payment of at least £100,000 from the NHS - a £76,000 lump sum and six months' salary.

That's equal to the salary of at least five nurses - staff who were in short supply at Eastbourne General Hospital when Pauline Freeman bled to death there after a routine operation.

Mr Uren quit last week as chief executive of the hospital's health trust after a scathing report into the way it was run.

There's not much the new management at Eastbourne can do about the pay-outs to this failed health supremo because they were due under his contract.

But it does seem wrong that he should be getting so much money after the sorry story of management revealed in a critical report on his regime.

And it's extraordinary that Mr Uren should be seconded to work elsewhere in the NHS for the last six months of his career. He may be vastly experienced, but who's going to want him now?

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.