FORMER County Gazette reporter Mike Ford has relived the aftermath of one of the most horrific incidents he covered during his time with the newspaper.

It is 40 years since Taunton was rocked by a devastating train fire that claimed the lives of 12 people and left 20 injured.

And Mike has trawled through his old cuttings and photos to remind Gazette readers of those tragic events.

The blaze broke out on the Penzance to Paddington sleeper train near Fairwater Bridge, on Staplegrove Road, less than a mile from Taunton Station, at 2.41am on Thursday, July 6, 1978.

An inquiry established that the incident was caused by linen bags heating up, giving off toxic fumes, including carbon monoxide, as they smouldered.

The ventilation system drew fresh air from the vestibule and the gases were sucked into the system and the berth where passengers were sleeping.

A major fire developed and the train was stopped near the Silk Mills signal box after the communication cord was pulled.

By then 11 victims were already dead and a 12th was to die the following month at Musgrove Park Hospital after never regaining consciousness.

Many passengers woke up and managed to escape, although they had considerable difficulty in doing so due to the smoke and heat.

One of the sleeping car attendants could only shout a warning to a few occupants before he was overcome by smoke.

The County Gazette later discovered that the train doors were locked at the time of the accident, which became one of the main focuses of the subsequent inquiry.