A FOOTBALL supporter from Kent has told how he tried in vain to prise open the doors of the derailed tube train on London's Central Line on Saturday.

Mark Law, 41, had been on the first leg of his underground journey to see Arsenal's FA Cup clash against Conference side Farnborough at Highbury when the accident happened.

Mr Law, from Riverview Park, Gravesend, said: "I realised something was wrong in the tunnel between Bank and Chancery Lane when the carriage started to severely judder and the lights went out in the train.

"I don't think people believed what was going on. It felt like seconds really, although the train was speeding up as it approached the station.

"It kept shaking and juddering until it came to a halt. Fortunately my carriage was next to the platform. The train filled with acrid soot which covered my hands and face and several people shouted 'fire'.

"The door at one end had sheared off and lie on the platform amid broken glass. Everybody calmly moved out of our carriage but other people trapped inside could be heard screaming.

Mr Law, who was unhurt, tried in vain along with other passengers to prise other train doors open from the platform. He said: "They were open about six inches but we couldn't get them open any further. I told people they could get off the train if they walked to the next carriage."

"The uninjured and walking wounded made their way up to ground level and were milling around when the emergency services arrived. Although in a state of shock, most people realised it could have been a lot worse, and they were grateful to be alive."

Mr Law abandoned his trip to Highbury, not wanting to face the remainder of the tube journey, and returned home.

Thirty-two people were injured in the derailing of the westbound train, which hit the side of the tunnel wall and clipped the platform. An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.