HUNDREDS of yards of rail track throughout East Lancashire have had "visual tests" following the Hatfield disaster.

And more than 100 sites in the North West and North Wales are to receive sonar tests within the next week.

Railtrack today said all 2,700 miles of track in the North West, including East Lancashire, have undergone the visual inspection.

It usually is carried out every three to four months but it was brought forward after the Hatfield disaster, when four people died.

Sonic tests, where sonic waves will be bounced off the tracks, will be carried out on lines which have "similar characteristics" to the Hatfield route.

None will be carried out in East Lancashire.

"We will be testing lines that are high speed, have sharp curves or both," said a Railtrack spokesman.

"Sonic waves will detect cracks or breaks in the track."

It was hoped these tests would have been finished this week but they were hampered by the bad weather.

A spokesman for Railtrack said the visual checks had unearthed problems in Cumbria but no tracks in East Lancashire had shown sign of damage.

Local services are not expected to be affected when essential engineering work is carried out.