An investigation has been launched after a Rail maintenance technician allegedly lied that he had inspected faulty points before trains were allowed to carry on using them.

The man, employed by Amey, which has its head office in Sutton Courtenay, near Abingdon, has been suspended after apparently lying about inspecting the points following an urgent report from the driver of a First Great Western express who said his train had lurched badly at the points in Theale, near Reading.

According to a confidential document, Amey, the contractor in charge of track maintenance in the Reading area, claimed the line had been inspected following the driver's report lon June 21.

It then ordered an emergency speed restriction of 5mph but a supervisor from Network Rail, the track infrastructure operator, who was at Theale, said he had not seen anyone inspect the track.

Network Rail's official log recorded that an Amey employee then admitted that the speed restriction had been imposed without an inspection.

The affected track was closed for more than three hours so the points could be repaired.

The line reopened with a 20mph speed limit in force for all trains.

On June 27, officials from Network Rail and Amey were meeting to investigate the incident. The Health & Safety Executive is also involved in the inquiry.

Network Rail spokesman Morag Rickett said: "What happened was a serious breach of protocol and a formal inquiry has been launched. A member of staff has been suspended pending the outcome of this investigation.

"We are committed to providing a safe railway and an efficient network and will take the opportunity to re-emphasise safety as our top priority."

The day after the incident, Network Rail took over the maintenance contract for the area from Amey and now employs the suspended man at the centre of the investigation. Network Rail's Reading track maintenance area also includes Oxford, Didcot and the Henley branch line.