HUNDREDS of people will gather on Thursday for memorial services to mark the first anniversary of the Great Heck rail disaster.

Today safety experts were revealing safety measures to prevent a repetition of the events which led to the tragedy.

The first service on Thursday will be held at 11am at the scene of the crash, near Selby, where railway industry chaplain the Reverend Miles Mitson will dedicate a newly-constructed memorial garden.

A 5ft memorial stone will then be unveiled to commemorate the ten men who lost their lives on February 28 last year.

A smaller stone will also be unveiled, paying tribute to the bereaved, injured and survivors and all their families, "not forgetting those who helped or were touched by the tragedy".

It is thought that some of the families involved will also visit the crash scene at 6.15am - the exact time the GNER express collided head-on with a freight train travelling in the opposite direction on the East Coast Main Line.

A second memorial service will be held at Selby Abbey at 4pm on Thursday, conducted by abbey vicar the Reverend Keith Jukes, and the team rector of Great Snaith, the Reverend Cyril Roberts.

A special message from the Prince of Wales will be read out. Prince Charles declined an invitation to attend, saying his presence would detract from a special day that belonged to the bereaved families and survivors.

Sue Nelson, of Railtrack, said: "There will be an opportunity for as many people as possible to come down on the day to pay their respects.

"But, above all, this is a day for the bereaved families, the injured and the survivors."

Gary Hart, from Lincolnshire, was jailed for five years for causing the deaths of the ten victims by dangerous driving.

The jury convicted him of falling asleep at the wheel of his Land Rover before it careered off the M62 onto the East Coast Main Line.

Today, two reports on rail safety were being unveiled in London.

One, from the Health and Safety Commission, is on accidents where vehicles have obstructed lines.

The other, from the Highways Agency, looks at the provision of safety barriers on major roads.

Updated: 15:59 Monday, February 25, 2002