A SUICIDE threat brought trains to a standstill during the rush hour after a man threatened to throw himself off Rochester railway bridge.

Commuters faced hours of delay and misery after the man climbed on to the lines just before 5pm on Friday.

Trains travelling to Dartford and London were diverted or turned around and many commuters waiting to use the non-stop service to London had to change at different stops.

Ppolice officers negotiated with the man for about an hour. A spokesman for Medway police said: "By 6pm the man came off the bridge. The power was switched back on as the situation had been resolved but it was certainly quite busy during that hour."

A spokesman for Connex said: "We would like to apologise to passengers delayed on Friday evening and thank them for their understanding and patience.

"It's very sad that someone can be so unhappy they will consider an action like this but thankfully on this occasion no one came to any harm."