SEVERAL hundred Kent commuters were delayed for hours after a railway tunnel was blocked by a large chunk of metal which fell on to the line.

A spokeswoman for Connex said a piece of iron sheeting fell from the roof of the tunnel near Sevenoaks during last night's rush-hour.

Passengers were delayed or left stranded, with some sitting for more than an hour on stationary trains.

Some commuters have criticised the manner in which Connex and Network Rail handled the situation, especially regarding a lack of information.

A large stretch of the track had to be closed, leading to delays or cancellations of services between London Bridge and Charing Cross and the Kent and Sussex coasts.

Replacement bus services were provided between Orpington and Tonbridge, but with hundreds of passengers affected, queues for the buses were long and many opted to get home by taxi instead.

Railway engineers worked through the night to repair any damage and trains were running as normal this morning.

Deborah Pester of Connex said: "It happened absolutely at the worst time of the evening and commuters were very frustrated about being late home.

"The lack of information I do apologise for, because there's no excuse for that."