A disabled woman who joked she was going to shoot railway workers after they kept her awake all night was shocked when police turned up on her doorstep.

Ann Egan made the quip to her partner on Boxing Day after two sleepless nights due to Network Rail carrying out alterations to the tracks behind her home in Winchester Way, Rainham.

The engineers turned up at 10pm on Christmas Eve – without any warning – and worked until 8am the next day. They were back again at 10pm on Christmas Day and work continued throughout the night.

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On Boxing Day, Mrs Egan’s partner Dave Bumstead called Network Rail to complain and ask if they were due back again that night.

While Mr Bumstead was on the phone to customer services, Mrs Egan joked in the background, "If they come back again I’ll shoot them with a gun".

Two hours later, she received a knock on the door from British Transport Police officers who told her they had been sent to investigate a threat to railway staff.

"We take all abuse and threats of violence against rail staff very seriously and will investigate as appropriate..." - BTP spokesman

The 57-year-old, who suffers from a lung condition and relies on an oxygen mask, said: "I think they just took one look at me and realised it was said in frustration. I was shattered.

"I did not sleep for two nights and we had no letter or warning that the work would take place, no one in the street did.

"The drilling went on all night and we had floodlights coming into our bedroom. There were about 12 men and they were shouting to each other down the track and talking at the top of their voices."

Network Rail has apologised for not informing residents about the work before it started but did not wish to comment on the report to the British Transport Police.

Video: Ann Egan on how sleepless nights drove her to joke threat

A spokesman said: "Clearly our neighbour in Rainham should have received advanced warning of the work over Christmas and I can only apologise.

"We are investigating how this came to happen and we know how important it is to let people know when we will be doing work overnight.

"Christmas is the busiest time of year for our engineers as it is the only time when we can get access to the busiest parts of the railway without impacting passengers."

A spokesman for BTP said: "Officers had cause to visit an address in Rainham on Boxing Day, after a threat of violence with a gun towards rail workers was overheard.

"We take all abuse and threats of violence against rail staff very seriously and will investigate as appropriate.

"In this case, we were satisfied the threat was made out of frustration, with no actual malice intended. There was no gun.

"However, rail staff have the right to carry out their work without fear of intimidation."