A pedestrian railway crossing near where two women were killed is not considered by rail bosses to be a danger to walkers if used properly.

Susan Steinker, 44, of Church Close, Oakworth, who was in a wheelchair, and a 62-year-old woman from Keighley died on Wednesday when they were hit by a train on the Airedale line at Steeton near Keighley.

Both women were patients at nearby Airedale General Hospital mental health unit and their bodies were recovered near Thornhill Road rail crossing in the village.

Mrs Steinker, a radiographer and mother of a teenage daughter, had already lost the lower half of both legs in June when run over by a train.

Steeton with Eastburn parish councillor Maurice Bell said there may be calls for the crossing to be made safer, but he was not in favour of it.

He said: "What has happened is very sad but is not a reason to close the path."

Keighley MP Ann Cryer added that despite the deaths, she did not feel it necessary to close the footpath.

A Railtrack spokesman said it would be necessary to apply to Bradford Council for any footpath closure order.

She added: "There is no action at Railtrack to close the footpath but if people do want to close it, we would enter into discussions."

The spokesman said the crossing - called an accommodation crossing - has facilities for both vehicles and pedestrians.

The vehicle crossing is gated and can only be used with permission from either Railtrack staff or landowners. It is permanently locked and anyone wishing to take a vehicle across needs authority to unlock it.

Pedestrians can cross by using a stile, which has warning signs.

The Railtrack spokesman said train drivers are aware of the crossing and said it is not felt necessary to order them to use the whistle to warn people of an approaching train.

Airedale NHS Trust has launched an internal investigation into how the two women get out of the hospital without being stopped.

Airedale Community Health Council has called for an independent probe into the security levels at the hospital's mental health wards.

A spokesman for Arriva trains said the company has qualified counsellors to assist staff who had been involved in a traumatic incident on the line.