Commuters were stuck on trains and at a railway station for half an hour after a man - believed to be suicidal - was spotted on a footbridge.

Police were called to Rainham station at about 4pm to reports of a man on a bridge over the tracks.

Officers asked Southeastern to shut down all train services in the area.

A British Transport Police (BTP) spokesman said: “We were called to the line close to Rainham station in Kent at 3.19pm on Thursday, 3 September, following a report of a vulnerable man.

“Officers from BTP and Kent Police attended the scene and persuaded a man to come down from a footbridge over the railway line.

“The man, in his 30s, was taken to a place of safety for a mental health assessment.”

The incident was initially reported to police as men fighting on the bridge.

James Seery, 21, was on his way home to Rainham in between a split shift, and said he'd been stuck on the train at Gillingham for least half an hour.

Services resumed after a 32 minute delay.