BRITISH Transport Police and Transport for Wales have provided reassurance following concerns that an alleged indecent incident on a train between Carmarthen and Haverfordwest may not have been an isolated occurrence.

As reported in last week's Western Telegraph British Transport Police (BTP) has released CCTV images in connection with an alleged indecent incident on the train at around midday on Saturday, August 14.

On that occasion BTP said that two passengers noticed a man sitting a few rows away from them and allegedly touching himself inappropriately under his trousers.

BTP asked anybody who recognised the man, or had any other information that may help their enquiries, to contact them by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference 281 of 14/08/21.

Following this appeal, a reader, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that his teenage daughter had had a similar issue on the same train last year.

He said that the man in question was not prosecuted, just told not to travel on the train again. He also expressed concerns that there was not a guard on the Carmarthen to Haverfordwest train which his daughter has to take on a regular basis.

"This has happened again and will continue to happen unless something is done about it," he said.

"The train company say there is always a guard, but she has yet to see one. The train is only two carriages long, so I am sure if there is a guard, maybe he is sat up with the driver and not looking after vulnerable girls on their train."

Transport for Wales (TfW) replied:

"The safety of our customers and staff is our highest priority. There is a conductor present on every train, and we also deploy members of our security team to patrol the network to provide additional support on services.

"We're continuing to work closely with our industry colleagues at the British Transport Police (BTP) to tackle sexual harassment on rail services."

A BTP spokesperson said that it could not comment on individual cases but added:

"Tackling sexual harassment is an absolute priority for us, and we take every report seriously.

"Each report we receive provides us with valuable information which we can use to build a picture of an offender and identify patterns of behaviour.

"We want everyone to know they can text us discreetly on 61016, whether something is happening to you at the time or has happened to your recently. No incident is too small or trivial. We will always take you seriously.

"If you text us on 61016, the message will come through to our control room who can dispatch officers to a location if required or put you in touch with an officer to speak at a convenient time.

"Save the number in your phone, and just let us know if you ever need us. You can also call 0800 40 50 40 or report online."