Heatwave's return forces Nene Valley Railway to postpone dog show and steam trains in Peterborough this weekend

Steam trains were due to return to the track at Nene Valley Railway this weekend - after the heatwave left them sitting in the sheds.

The popular attraction was forced to leave steam trains in the sidings for the past six weeks, due to concerns about track side fires and the safety of drivers.

Cooler temperatures meant staff at NVR had hoped to run the steam trains again this weekend alongside a dog show.

However, the return of the hot weather has again meant the suspension of steam trains and the postponement of the dog show.

A spokesman for Nene Valley Railway said: "Unfortunately, we need to announce that following a re-assessment of the weather over the coming few days, we will have to defer Steam returning until there is a sustained cooler period with a bit more rain to dampen down the tinder box conditions on the line.

"The surge of returning heat has also meant that we are postponing our dog show that was due on Sunday – we are a dog friendly railway – and do not want our four legged friends becoming unwell in the heat, so after consultation with the event organisers we have postponed the event until some cooler conditions return.

"We want to encourage everyone to still come and join us – bring their picnics, stop off at the various stations and enjoy the hazy crazy days of summer, riding behind our Heritage Diesels. Enjoy a wander around our working sheds – see how Thomas’s recovery is coming along, visit Overton and sample their new Tea Room, visit the night mail exhibition, stop off at Orton Mere and take a lovely walk around the boating lake and see the sculptures, or alight at Peterborough and combine a visit into Railworld."

A note on the Nene Valley Railway website further explains: "As we all bask in the summer heat wave, the NVR is placed at a HIGH risk of line side fires, so we are running Heritage Diesel locomotives on our service trains at present.

"The Nene Valley that our line runs through has farm fields along the length of our route from Wansford to the Nene River bridge at Ferry Meadows, and we have to be respectful to our farming neighbours and ensure that we protect the fields and crops from fires that could be caused by a passing steam locomotive.

"We also have to look after our steam crews, it may be over 30 in the heat outside but when you place our volunteers crews on a steam locomotive this temperature will double if not more.

"The NVR understands the importance of running steam locomotives for the enjoyment of our customers, but we are sure you will understand the risks at this time in relation to the high risk of fires and the care we need to provide for our locomotive crews.

"Our fire risk is reviewed daily and when we are in a position to run steam locomotives without further risk we will gladly return to Steam services."

For more information on the services this weekend visit https://www.nvr.org.uk/