A LEVEL crossing on one of Medway’s most dangerous roads could be made safer with funding from Network Rail.

The company which runs the crossing on the A228 at Grain has teamed up with Medway Council to make improvements to the danger hot spot.

The news follows complaints from workers who manually control barriers to allow freight and container trains to cross the railway line.

They say they risk their lives when they operate the barriers because speeding cars fail to see the red flashing lights which signal an approaching train, because of a sharp bend just before the crossing.

The team believe it is only a matter of time before one of their colleagues is injured or killed by a speeding car trying to pass the crossing before the barriers come down and are calling for automatic barriers.

A spokesman for Network Rail said: "Subject to securing funding we will be working with Medway Council with the view to replacing this crossing with an automatic one.

"A lot of the problems are caused by drivers flouting the law, breaking speed limits and trying to beat the barriers.

"The automatic barriers will remove the necessity for railway workers to put themselves at risk.

"The council is also working to improve road signs in the area to warn drivers of the approaching crossing."

A Medway Council spokesman added: "In the last three years of recorded personal injury accident data supplied by Kent Police, from March 1, 2002 to February 28, 2005, there have been no accidents at either the Grain or Stoke crossings.

“The crossing falls under the jurisdiction of Her Majesty’s inspectorate and they and the traffic management team at Medway Council are continually working to ensure the crossing remains safe.

"A meeting is currently being arranged between Medway Council and Network Rail to discuss any safety concerns."