MP's thoughts are with friends and family

4.27.58pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 30th May 2006

Speaking after Saturday's stabbing incident on a train travelling through his Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency, local MP Tim Farron said:

"My thoughts and prayers are with the victim's friends and family. As a parent of a 19 year old myself, I can only begin to imagine what they are going through at the moment - and I do hope that justice comes quickly.

"I am also concerned for the staff who work on our railways. Travelling between my home and London most weeks, I have no doubt that the excellent staff on trains have been deeply affected by this incident.

"It is important to note that, despite its horrendous nature, this is an extremely rare event.

"There is an issue to some extent about safety on trains, following this incident and other such as the attacks on July 7th in London. More scanners at railways station are one tool that could make our railways safer.

"However, the overriding issue is that of knife ownership. We need to make sure that, once the current amnesty is over, there are sentences and policing which is enough of a deterrent to put people off carrying, let alone using, knives."