The statement made by Churnet Valley Railway on 1 August 2026.
Whilst we always try to keep our posts positive, celebrating the incredible work of our volunteers and staff, and sharing the wonderful experiences our visitors have, occasionally something happens that simply leaves us shaking our heads.
Over recent days we have discovered that the fence we erected at the site of the future Leek station has been deliberately dismantled. Rather than being damaged accidentally, the fence has been carefully unscrewed, paling by paling, with the screws removed as well.
Sadly, that wasn’t the end of it.
Our small JCB mini digger, generously funded by one of our volunteers some years ago, had been left on our land for just 24 hours awaiting collection back to our maintenance depot. During that short time, someone decided to vandalise it. Controls have been ripped off, electrical components torn out, the dipstick removed and, unbelievably, dirt and grit poured into the engine sump.
This wasn’t an abandoned machine. It wasn’t causing anyone any harm. It was simply waiting to be collected after helping our volunteers maintain the railway.
The real victims are our volunteers. They give up their own time, freely and willingly, to preserve and improve this railway for everyone to enjoy. They now find themselves without a vital piece of equipment that makes so many maintenance tasks quicker, safer and easier. We must now either find a replacement or hope that someone with the necessary expertise can repair what has been damaged.
We simply cannot understand why anyone would choose to do this. It serves no purpose, benefits nobody and only diverts money and volunteer effort away from improving the railway.
If anyone has seen anything suspicious around the Leek extension or has any information that may assist us, however small it may seem, we would be grateful if you could contact us privately.
Let’s hope that the vast majority of people, who support and care about the railway, continue to outweigh the actions of the very few who do not