There are 300 people who commit suicide on the railways annually across the UK. Councillor Andy Dingwall (Conservative, Bridgwater East and Bawdrip) took umbrage with Mr Hobhouse's comments, stating: "Railways and roads are incredibly different. Andy Roebuck, Avon and Somerset Constabulary's forensic collision investigation lead officer (Image: Somerset Council)Andy Roebuck, Avon and Somerset Constabulary's forensic collision investigation lead officer, also took objection to Mr Hobhouse's view, stating: "It is not like for like - they are totally different investigations. "We operate totally different to the requirements of the British Transport Police. Ian Thompson, National Highways' lead officer for stakeholder relations in the South West, said that the agency had assessed more than 2,200 structures near the M5 to establish which ones were most "vulnerable" to that kind of incident.