Service recovering after trespasser blocks railway lines in Worthing

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, a spokesperson said power to the line was turned off, and some trains were forced to a standstill. West coast services between Brighton and Southampton via Barnham were also affected, causing delays of up to 20 minutes.

With police en route, working to remove the trespasser, Southern Railway announced that tickets would also be accepted on the following services:

- Southern or Thameslink services on any reasonable route to your destination

- South Western Railway between Southampton, Portsmouth, Havant, and London.

- London Underground on any reasonable route

- Brighton & Hove bus routes between Brighton and Shoreham-by-Sea

- Stagecoach route 700 buses between Brighton and Littlehampton, and also between Littlehampton and Portsmouth.

Using alternative routes means some passengers journeys took longer than usual, and customers were advised to leave an extra 40 minutes to reach their destinations.

As of 7.03am this morning, the passenger had been removed from the premises and trains were back on the move; customers are still being encouraged to give themselves extra time to travel, however.