PASSENGERS involved in the Berkshire rail smash which killed a grandfather from Warminster were unable to use safety hammers to escape the wreckage.

A report into the crash that killed Leslie Matthews, 71, of Ludlow Close, along with six others, found broken hammers hampered passengers' escape through train windows.

The Rail Safety and Standards Board launched its preliminary inquiry into the Ufton Nervet crash, in which the train derailed after hitting a parked car.

First Great Western, which operates the London to Plymouth service, said it believed one hammer had broken.

The company has carried out its own technical tests, which found the hammers could break if used by someone "particularly strong".

A spokesman said: "We are writing to manufacturers across the world to see if we can find an alternative."

The safety board's report said: "Lighting was completely lost in all the coaches during the accident. As a result, passengers and crew found orientation difficult, though the provision of snap light wands alleviated this problem to some degree.

"Some passengers who attempted to break windows were hampered by the breakage of the hammers and by the difficulty of reaching the upper windows of a vehicle leaning heavily to one side."