A railway worker was left deaf in one ear after identical twins viciously attacked him on a platform, a court heard.

Jamie and Kevin O'Neill rounded on Peter Little and punched and kicked him after he confronted one of them about urinating against the cafe wall of Tonbridge station.

The heavily tattooed 26-year-olds were drunk at 7.20am on November 26, having been to a party.

Maidstone Crown Court heard Mr Little had received a call telling him there was a man on the platform "throwing up".

“He went over to them and could see from a distance one of them was urinating against the cafe wall,” said prosecutor Ed Fowler.

“He asked which one had done it. They said: ‘Who do you think you are'? They began squaring up to him.”

The twins went towards Mr Little and as he backed away one threatened: “I am going to knock you out. You don’t know who you are dealing with. We are from London.”

One of the twins said he would stab the victim and put his hand in his pocket.

Mr Little was close to track when he was punched in the face. One of the brothers held him while the other rained punches on him.

“He was taken to the ground, where he was kicked and punched and stamped on,” said Mr Fowler.

"This is a case where you caused significant long-term injury to your victim" - Judge Adele Williams

CCTV footage of the incident showed colleagues arriving and pulling him away from his attackers.

They ran off, but one tripped and was detained. His attitude changed with him saying he was sorry and they would lose their job.

After their arrest, Jamie O’Neill made further threats saying of the victim: “I know where he works and where he lives. He lives round the corner from my aunt’s house.

“I will get justice for my brother or pay someone to stab him up. That’s a promise.”

Mr Fowler said the victim was now completely deaf in his left ear. He also suffered multiple lacerations to his face and bruising.

He said in a statement that the hearing loss had thwarted his career because of health and safety issues.

While in a cell, Kevin O’Neill blocked the toilet, causing it to flood.

The twins, of Elmscott Road, Bromley, admitted unlawful wounding. Kevin O’Neill also admitted criminal damage at the police station.

Jamie O’Neill has five previous convictions for assault and possessing cannabis.

Kevin O’Neill has eight previous appearances for 10 offences including robbery, possessing cannabis and criminal damage.

Jailing the air conditioning fitters for two-and-a-half years, Judge Adele Williams said: “This is a case where you caused significant long-term injury to your victim.

"There has been an assault with shod feet being used.

“It was committed on an employee providing a service to the public. It is a sustained and repeated assault. There is an ongoing effect on the victim.”

Emma Stuart-Smith, defending, told the judge: “They are very sorry for what happened. It spiralled out of control.

“They were on their way home back to London after a very good night.”

The twins were only on platform, she said, because their train had been cancelled.

Miss Stuart-Smith added that the twins' father was having treatment for cancer.

Their mother suffered from schizophrenia and dementia and was in care.