Speaking on White Ribbon Day (25 November), Northern's chief operating officer, Matt Rice, has suggested that there is more to be done to create a safe environment for women working and travelling on the UK's rail network.

White Ribbon, a charity which campaigns to end violence against women and girls, has organised an event for the rail industry set to take place on Friday, December 6.

Chaired by the charity's chief executive, Anthea Sally, and participated in by Mr Rice and others, the panel event will be attendable virtually and can be signed up for at https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=4cMswn9dTU--A9WhWMyUCWkFzOdx0EdPhSXpAtARc8RUQjUyM0Y3REdRMlFPWVJVR0ZIOTQ5REczSy4u&route=shorturl

Mr Rice said: "It’s shocking that 70 per cent of women in the UK say they have experienced various forms of sexual harassment in public.

"The rail network is no different to other public arenas in facing this problem – and here at Northern we have invested heavily in enhanced CCTV at stations and on-board our trains to make customers feel safe – but we can all do more."

Earlier this year, Northern established a network of train staff to help victims of "unwanted sexual behaviour" (USB).

The staff, present at Blackpool, Darlington, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Preston, and York stations, are able to signpost victims of USB to available support services.