A survivor of one of the UK's worst rail accidents has given her support to the union at the centre of the bitter row over the role of conductors on Southern Railway.

Helen Mitchell praised the guard who helped survivors of the Paddington crash in 1999 in which 31 people died and 520 were injured.

In a letter to the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, she said she was only too aware of the role of guards.

She said: “Colin, our guard, helped many people and in my eyes was a hero, directing many survivors to safety. What did the drivers do, you may ask?

“Sadly, they were both immediately killed, which for me underlines the deep importance of guards in the event of a serious incident.”

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “Helen's personal story illustrates just what a crucial role the guards fulfil on our railways, a role that goes way beyond the spin from Southern Rail about the opening and closing of doors.

“The guard was crucial at Paddington 17 years ago, just as the guard was crucial in the landslip and derailment incident at Watford just two weeks ago.

“These are facts that cannot and should not be ignored by rail companies like Southern, who are seeking to put private profit before public safety.”

Southern insists it is safe for drivers to operate doors as it seeks to transfer guards to the new role of on-board supervisor.

Talks aimed at resolving the dispute broke down on Thursday, so the union is pressing ahead with a series of strikes from next week.