As the Inquiry into the Paddington rail crash of last October moved into its first full week, Didcot survivor David Taylor spoke today of "A catalogue of disasters waiting to happen", writes George Frew.

Hero David, 35, was travelling to work aboard the high-speed First Great Western express which collided with a Thames Turbo train at Ladbroke Grove on the morning of October 5 last year, killing 31 people and injuring hundreds of others.

After the sickening impact of the collision, as flames swept through the carriages, David, a computer specialist of Abingdon Road, Didcot, helped direct many of his fellow passengers to safety and escaped himself with just cuts and bruises. He later astonished many people by returning to the scene the next day with his wife Dianne and baby son Gage.

This morning, he described the Inquiry, headed by Lord Cullen, as "Revelatory."

"It seems to be pulling out more things in depth than we might have expected," he said. "It also seems to be exposing the fact that the Paddington tragedy was made up of a catalogue of disasters waiting to happen."

"First we find that signal 109 wasn't bright enough. Then it emerges that the Thames driver, Michael Hodder, was not trained on the routes out of Paddington to the standards required. We find that the signalmen at Slough's policy was not to do anything because trains that went through a red signal always stopped 700 meters in the overrun. It's a farce." But he slammed suggestions that driver Hodder, who like the driver of the First Great Western, perished in the collison, would not have been employed by Thames Turbo if his conviction for common assault had been known.

"That makes me very angry," said Mr Taylor. "Mr Hodder's assault conviction was not relevant and it is just sheer ill taste to bring it up at all."

"Instead, we should look at the facts above and that the ATP on the First Great Western was switched off, again and that there were loose rails. It all just raises a whole catalogue of problems. "Ultimately, it was Mr Hodder's error, but it could still have been stopped if the signal proceedure was not to let things go and see what happened. Instead, they all just watched."

David Taylor will not be giving evidence himself at the Inquiry - for economic reasons. "I'm self emploed and although I would like to give evidence, I'm afraid the time off work would impact on my earnings and effect my ability to pay the mortgage," he explained.

And he hoped that the Inquiry would have some positive results.

"The last thing we need is a criminal prosecution - although it might have been nice. But binding contracts should be made, not recommendations."

"I heard that some of the survivors are still having nightmares and I am not surprised.

"I still travel on the same route to work everyday and I remember the circumstances of the crash vividly. It will live with me forever, I am sure."