Communication failures between police and track operators have been criticised in a report into the death of a 15-year-old girl on the railway line between Weymouth and Dorchester.

Roxy Phillips was electrocuted on the railway line near Upwey after power to the rails was switched back on, following a search by police in response to reports of a person on the tracks. 

The power to the line had been switched off after Network Rail (NWR) was informed of a trespasser in the Upwey area at around 1am on March 23, 2023, and Dorset Police was given authorisation to access the tracks..

A report by Pan-Dorset Safeguarding Children’s Partnership (PDSCP), in which Roxy is not named but instead given the pseudonym "Edie", says: "As both British Transport Police and NWR staff had a significant distance to travel, initially the local police were given the go-ahead to access the tracks and investigate. 

"Once Dorset Police had undertaken an initial visual search and listened for any sounds from a bridge, they reported back to NWR control rooms as 'area searched, no trace.'

"As in line with NWR procedures when no trespassers have been found, the emergency switch off was lifted by NWR, and the railway track became live again."

The report goes on to say power was restored despite no detailed search or oversight by transport police supervisors, and the continuation of the emergency switch-off would have protected life.

There were no trains scheduled through the station for at least three hours.

A Network Rail manager had arrived at the railway station and intended to carry on the search by walking the railway line and checking the fences. 

However, a few moments later, a call was received to the ambulance service that a person had fallen on the live tracks and was in cardiac arrest.

Roxy's mother, Kerri Walker, said that her daughter was "failed by all" and shared that agencies involved on the night "assumed too much".

She told the report that the track should have been walked and the power not turned back on until this had happened.

The report called for an update to British Transport Police's Operational Manual to ensure "effective liaison" between forces.

It also recommended work by Network Rail to raise awareness about the safety of railway tracks, particularly towards vulnerable children and young people.

According to the report, Roxy had a range of needs driven by "physical, psychological and behavioural changes" as she was growing up, these were "not fully understood by agencies".

In December 2022, Roxy went to the railway station "with the intention of hurting herself", but no action was taken to address any future risk of her being there.

A week before her death in March 2023, she overdosed but absconded from hospital.

The report said authorities missed opportunities to intervene following both incidents.

It said the lack of education for Roxy prompted one professional to comment that she had been "set up to fail".

An inquest into Roxy's death is due to be held at a later date.