HIGHWAYS officials last night urged the Government to sort out the funding mess that is preventing urgent safety repairs to scores of crumbling railway bridges.

As Gary Hart begins a five-year jail sentence for causing the Selby rail crash, an unseemly "who pays for what" row is holding up improvement work to bridges that span some of the busiest lines in the country.

And doubts over the future of Railtrack have only exacerbated the situation, first revealed by The Northern Echo eight months ago.

Last night, North Yorkshire County Council committed £100,000 to improve five bridges in urgent need of repair.

But highways officials admitted a further 27 needed work. And, with no more money in the pot, they could not say when, or even if, the jobs could be carried out.

It is the same story in County Durham, where the local authority has already shelled out to upgrade the worst bridges - but many more need attention.

Local authorities say they can't afford to upgrade every railway bridge and claim Railtrack does not want to know. Railtrack says it is not responsible for roadside crash barriers and points to the Highways Agency.

As the squabbling continues the standard of the barriers defending the region's railway bridges is steadily deteriorating.

In the three years leading up to the Selby crash, there were 31 incidents involving drivers losing control, landing on railways and obstructing the tracks.

Since the disaster - which claimed ten lives - there have been several other near misses.

In North Yorkshire four bridges - at Dalton-on-Tees, near Darlington, Danby Wiske, Thirsk Station and on the B1448 at Thirsk - have been identified as top priorities and work could start shortly.

But until the future of Britain's railways is made clearer, following the demise of Railtrack, council chiefs say they cannot guarantee when more work will be carried out.

Brian Jones, of North Yorkshire's environmental services department, said: "Nationally, at the moment, no one has actually said who is responsible for putting this problem right. The question of finance can only be settled by what happens with Railtrack."

Durham County Council is also carrying out repairs at Browney Lane, near Durham City - despite believing that it is the financial responsibility of Railtrack - because of the poor condition of the bridge.

Anne McIntosh, Tory MP for the Vale of York, said she would be looking closely at the Strategic Rail Authority's ten-year investment plan, expected on Monday.

l Ministers are considering tighter guidelines for serious driving offences following the Selby crash, it was reported last night. A report will conclude that sentencing is inconsistent and there should be a simpler structure of charges, said Channel 4 News.