IN this column yesterday, we welcomed as promising the words of new Railtrack chairman John Robinson when he pledged to create "a culture of zero tolerance for unsafe acts".

How ironic that 24 hours later, Durham County Council should reveal that it has still not had a response from Railtrack six weeks after asking for a meeting to discuss the safety of railway bridges in our region.

The Selby rail disaster was a freak accident - the catastrophic result of a wholly unlikely chain of events.

Nevertheless, there remains the possibility - however small - that it could happen again. A survey by The Northern Echo of railway bridges along the East Coast Main Line route illustrated the dangers all too clearly.

It is encouraging that progress appears to have been made in North Yorkshire with a meeting being arranged between the county council, the Health And Safety Executive and Railtrack.

At least ten bridges have been earmarked as a priority but one key issue remains unresolved - who picks up the bill for the £20,000 which will be needed to make each bridge safe?

In Durham, there is no such encouragement. The county council has stumped up the money for safety work on three bridges and we congratulate the authority for acting responsibly.

But, while thousands of rail passengers are travelling under bridges which are clearly unsafe, the county council's report on bridge safety has been misplaced by Railtrack.

Imagine the outcry if the unthinkable did happen and another disaster occurred while Railtrack reacted at a speed which would be well within the capability of the average snail.

It is time the Government took a more proactive approach to resolving the dispute over who is responsible for bridge safety because this is a scandal which cannot go on any longer.

As we said yesterday, we welcome Mr Robinson's zero tolerance approach but words are worthless unless they are accompanied by action.

Zero tolerance and six weeks of silence do not go together. It smacks more of zero urgency.

* A copy of today's edition of The Northern Echo is being sent to Mr Robinson - by express delivery.