A total of 34 offences have been committed at Foxton Level Crossing in the last year, with incidents ranging from trespassing to failing to stop at signals.

The figures were revealed by British Transport Police, with the offences committed between 2014 to 2015.

Within the same period, the police dealt with 22 people for offences at the crossing. A total of 11 people were issued with court summons, and a further 11 of these people took up driver awareness courses.

Foxton county councillor Susan van de Ven, who is a member of the Meldreth, Shepreth and Foxton Rail User Group, wasn’t surprised by the findings.

She said: “Foxton Level Crossing will always have this kind of record in the current environment, where a rail line intersects a fast A road, in the middle of a village where local traffic adds another layer of activity. From what people have told me of their own experiences, this record includes a range of behaviour – certainly stupid risk taking but also uncertainty about driver choices around the level crossing, where there are too many things going on at once.

“While British Transport Police hold records of offences captured by CCTV cameras, we have no reliable official record of the number of times the crossing system fails pedestrians and cyclists.

“The Meldreth, Shepreth and Foxton Rail User Group has for years received notice from pedestrians and cyclists affected by a gate failure, only to discover that these have not been logged in the Network Rail system.

“There are things that could be done to improve the safety environment around the level crossing, that will require Network Rail and County Highways collaboration - it doesn’t have to mean a total closure of the crossing and it doesn’t have to cost mega-millions.”