Sussex railway incident: Police respond to concerns for woman between Hove and Worthing

Southern Rail said it was ‘advised of a trespassing incident’ shortly before 2.40pm today (Wednesday, October 19).

“Please allow extra time for travel whilst our teams respond,” a spokesperson added.

"Emergency response teams are on site and we will reopen lines as soon as it is safe to.”

British Transport Police (BTP) said officers were called to the line near Worthing ’following reports of concern for the welfare of a woman’.

“Officers attended with colleagues from Sussex Police and searched the area,” a BTP statement read. “The woman was safely found and has been taken to hospital for assessment.”

All lines were blocked as a result of the incident. Trains running between Hove and Worthing were subject to delays of up to 20 minutes.

A service update at 3.15pm read: “The emergency services have now cleared the line and are in the process of recharging the lines between Hove and Worthing.

“It will take our teams some time to resume service, so please continue to check http://nationalrail.co.uk before travelling.”

A ‘regular service’ resumed between Hove and Worthing around 5pm.

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