Tragedy could strike at a railway crossing unless urgent action is taken to improve facilities, a councillor has warned.

Sturry station - just off the A28 Sturry Hill near Canterbury - has no footbridge over the tracks and a ticket machine on just the Thanet-bound side.

Councillor tells KMTV why she's pushing for urgent changes to rail crossing

It means London-bound passengers are forced to use the busy road crossing to reach the machine, and face having to wait for the barriers to rise before they can return to the correct platform.

But Sturry councillor Louise Harvey-Quirke says some rail users fail to wait and jump the barriers to reach their trains on time.

"In most cases, residents have to cross the A28 to get to the Margate-bound platform to purchase a ticket, then have to deal with either the traffic or the level crossing gates, which are down for around 20 minutes per hour," she said.

"The A28 is a very busy road. For people with mobility issues or small children, it would be very difficult to make it across safely."

In July last year, a man was accused of gambling with his life when he was spotted hurdling the level crossing barriers with two suitcases in tow, as a train approached.

But Cllr Harvey-Quirke says this was far from a one-off occurrence.

She said: "I have witnessed people climbing over the level crossing gates to get to the train on time, and have heard of others using unofficial - and very dangerous - alternative routes."

The Conservative councillor is now lobbying Southeastern to make changes, and is calling for a second ticket machine to be installed on the London-bound platform.

"The use of Sturry station is likely to increase in future years due to housing development in the area, with people perhaps looking at Sturry as a 'commuter village' they can access London by train from with ease," she said.

"While I appreciate there are cost implications, no cost can be too great when it comes to keeping people safe."

Rail firm Southeastern, which manages the station, says it is considering installing a new ticket machine on the London-bound platform but "can't confirm any plans at the moment".

In an email to Cllr Harvey-Quirke, a member of Southeastern staff said additional machines - which cost "about £30,000 to install" - are prioritised at stations where "usage and passenger growth are much higher than at Sturry".

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