A TRAIN travelling at 95mph in Somerset had a near miss with two track workers before striking part of a tree.

The incident at Uphill Junction, near Weston-super-Mare, was captured on CCTV footage recorded from the cab of the CrossCountry Trains engine.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is investigating the incident on Friday, January 14.

The alert was caused after a trackside tree that had been felled ended up on the track.

Two workers attempted unsuccessfully to remove the tree from the track and were forced to jump clear seconds before the train sped past.

An initial RAIB report says: "The track workers involved were part of a team that was undertaking de-vegetation work on an embankment adjacent to two open running lines.

"During this work, a tree of around 165 mm (6.5 inches) in diameter, which had been felled by the team, came down the embankment and landed in the cess - (the area either side of the track).

"The two track workers involved in the incident went onto the line and attempted to remove the tree from the cess.

"While doing so they unintentionally moved the tree so that it became foul of one of the running lines.

"The track workers then became aware that a train was approaching them.

"They were able to move clear of the line several seconds before the train passed them, but part of the tree remained foul of the line and was struck by the train.

"No injuries resulted from the collision.

"The train did not derail and sustained only minor damage."

The RAIB has undertaken a preliminary examination into the circumstances surrounding the incident and plans to publish a safety digest in the near future.