A MAN and his dog have been hailed as heroes after they averted a possible major rail tragedy.

Geoffrey Gregg, 54, was out for a walk, when his dog, Patch, sniffed out a huge hole underneath the tracks on the East Coast Mainline, between Ferryhill Station and Tursdale Junction, County Durham.

Mr Gregg a former signalman from Broomside, Ferryhill, used an emergency phone to get the authorities to stop any more trains using the line.

But as he dialled, he heard a train and had to jump away from the phone. He eventually got through to the police and managed to raise the alarm.

His efforts were rewarded this week when he was invited to a special ceremony by the Mayor of Ferryhill, Councillor Cath Conroy.

At the town hall, he was thanked for his life-saving actions and presented with a commemorative glass, a council tie and a framed letter of thanks.

At the time, Mr Gregg said: "Part of the track was suspended and, when I looked in, it was so deep that I couldn't see the bottom of it."

Trains were diverted on to slow lanes until the hole was filled, less than two hours later. The cause of the hole remains a mystery