Deputy prime minister John Prescott has cut short his visit to China in response to the Hatfield rail crash. The Railtrack board has not accepted the resignation of chief executive Gerald Corbett despite news that faulty track is the most likely cause of the fatal derailment.

Speed restrictions have been imposed on 100 sections of track thought to suffer from similar "graduated top" distortions. The Rail Inspectorate will continue its investigation at the site today alongside the Health and Safety Executive, British transport police and Railtrack. Transport minister Lord Macdonald has said that he expects a report "in hours and days rather than weeks".