Overview
- A man in his 40s escaped from a transport contractor’s custody van that was stationary on the A1(M) and was later found fatally struck on the tracks near Welwyn North railway station.
- Officers searching the area discovered the casualty at about 9:40am, and formal identification has not yet taken place while the man’s family have been notified and a coroner’s file prepared.
- Two members of the transport contractor staff were injured during an altercation inside the van and were taken to hospital with injuries not thought to be serious.
- Thameslink confirmed one of its trains was involved and services through Hertfordshire were delayed with some cancellations before lines reopened.
- Hertfordshire Constabulary has referred the case to the Independent Office for Police Conduct and police inquiries are continuing to establish the full circumstances of the escape and death, with an inquest process to follow.