A man has opened up after two of his beloved pet dogs were killed by trains in Beaconsfield.
The Labradors in Bea, who was aged two, and Eva, who was 14 months, were hit by the fast-moving vehicles near the railway bridge by Hogback Wood and Holtspur Lane, in the afternoon of Wednesday, May 12.
The dogs managed to get onto the line through barriers that were described as ‘poorly maintained’ whilst out on a walk.
It has been reported that both dogs were hit by two separate trains that afternoon.
Steve Jones, who owned the dogs said: “I’ve lost the two closest creatures in my life.
The footpath along the perimeter of Hogback Wood and the Chiltern Line coming up from Holtspur Lane (a Network Rail Engineer)
“I live on my own and my daughter and grandchildren are equally upset because this is such a shock to us and now that they are both gone, it is a case of how empty life can be.
“I’m just devastated about it all because I am never going to see them or get them back again.
“It’s very upsetting.
“It is disappointing that the railway lines are so poorly maintained.
"More could have been done to have prevented this from happening.
“I’ve had a lot of dogs before and they’ve died from natural causes, but this is such as shock, because I have lost two dogs at the same time.”
Bea and Eva
He is also concerned that due to the lack of protection, anyone, such as children, adults or wildlife can walk onto the track.
He continued: “I have lived here since 1972 and this railway line has got busier and busier, and it is as if they are not upgrading the security relative to the danger around the area.”
One of Steve’s friends, Julian Harris, has consoled the dog owner and was on hand to help him on the day of the animals’ passing.
Julian, who is one of the administrators for the UK Dog Walk WhatsApp group, where he notifies people of any dog theft activities in the area from information on Facebook, noticed that Steve’s two animals were reported as lost through the social media channels.
The footpath along the perimeter of Hogback Wood and the Chiltern Line in the direction of Holtspur Lane
He too is concerned about the lack of protection between the pathway and railway line, as ‘anyone could go onto it and more tragedies could happen’.
A Network Rail spokesperson said: "Anyone who has a dog will know that the loss of two pets in this way must be extremely distressing for the owner.
“Inspections have found trees from neighbouring land had blown onto the railway boundary damaging some fencing.
Bea and Eva died on May 12
“The railway boundary has now been repaired, the trees removed and we are speaking to the landowner.
“We know this is no consolation to the owner involved but we would always encourage dog walkers to keep their pets on their leads when near a railway line.”
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