Security officers from Plymouth-based Securi-Guard helped prevent theft and vandalism during filming for BBC TV Top Gear presenter James May’s model railway challenge in North Devon.
A previous attempt by the TV star to run a miniature train track from Bideford to Barnstaple in 2009 was thwarted when thieves stole batteries and sections of track. But for the latest stunt – in which May raced a team of German model railway buffs along the Tarka Trail – organisers called in the South West-based company to patrol the route. The company provided 24 hour cover along the nine miles of track route and each member was equipped with a lone worker monitoring device from RedWeb Technologies, due to the remote location.
The devices also meant that the location of all the officers could be monitored to ensure every section of the track was protected at all times.
Mark Tapper, Business Development Manager for Security Services at Securi-Guard said: “We were delighted to be asked to provide a security presence at this event. Our security team provided a visible deterrent to anyone intent on committing crime and helped to ensure the whole event ran smoothly.”
The model railway race was filmed as a special for May’s Toy Stories series. Around 1000 people turned up at the recent event to see May take on three brothers, who run the world’s biggest model railway exhibition in Hamburg.
The two rival trains departed at opposite ends of the specially built section track, but the winner won’t be revealed until the programme is screened later this year.
