RMT rail union will pay tribute to members who lost their lives in the Tebay disaster 20 years ago tomorrow.

Wreaths will be laid and speeches from general secretary Mick Lynch and others will follow a private memorial service.

Mr Lynch said: “The Tebay disaster is a stark reminder of the calamity of privatisation and fragmentation of the railways.

“Our brothers who were lost in this avoidable disaster are never far from our thoughts and today we pay tribute to them and their families.”

During a night shift, an out-of-control 16-tonne steel wagon rolled down the West Coast Main Line reaching speeds of 40 mph before colliding with several track workers.

Four RMT members died and another five were injured in the collision in Cumbria.

Mark Connolly, the boss of the rail maintenance company, MAC Machinery Services, and crane operator Roy Kennett, were jailed for manslaughter. 

Mr Connolly was also prosecuted for breaches of health-and-safety law.