Station Master Sacked For "Preventing Accident"
Thousands of people have signed a petition to reinstate a Stationmaster who was sacked for removing a shopping trolley from a track half an hour before the first train was due.
Ian Faletto, who was in charge of Lymington and several other stations in Hampshire, was dismissed by South West Trains - despite nearly three decades of service - for a 'serious breach of safety'.
The 49 year old has been described as a 'loyal servant' of the railway system and often gave up his spare time to make sure the station were staffed and maintained.Local MP Desmond Swayne and residents of Lymington in the new forest are campaigning for South West Trains to reinstate Ian Faletto.
You can find the petition here.
Listen to Nick Ferrari's interview with Ian Falleto and Conservative MP for New Forest West Desmond Swayne MP below...
LBC has approached South West Trains for an interview but it has declined.
However in a statement a South West Trains spokesman said:
"We had a constructive conversation with MP Desmond Swayne and emphasised we never take any decision to dismiss an employee lightly or without careful consideration of all the relevant facts.
"During this conversation, it was made clear to Mr Swayne that we take our duty of confidentiality regarding personnel matters very seriously and we are prevented from discussing the case in detail. However, we made very clear that the facts of the case are fundamentally different from the seriously inaccurate picture which has been painted to date.
"We also informed Mr Swayne that the dismissal decision had already been subject to a full and detailed review, which was independent from the original consideration of the case. As a result, our internal consideration of the case is closed.
"The position remains that the right place for these matters to be considered is in an Employment Tribunal rather than through the media or third parties. We are ready to ensure the true facts are made public and will defend our position vigorously if required."