Train cancelled after squirrels board and ‘refuse to leave’
Aggressive rodents cause ‘pandemonium’ in Surrey as they attack passengers and force route to end prematurely
Squirrels forced the cancellation of a train service after they got on board and “refused to leave”.
The two rodents reportedly started to attack rush-hour commuters on Monday’s 8.54am Great Western Railway (GWR) service from Reading to Gatwick after they attempted to hitch a ride.
Witnesses said “pandemonium” ensued as passengers ran off the train at Gomshall, Surrey, and the conductor attempted to force the squirrels to get off the carriage.
One of them was successfully seen onto the platform further on in the route, but the other could not be shifted and the service was cancelled.
The saga began when the train stopped at Gomshall, a
Surrey village, at 9.47am when the pair of unwanted passengers jumped aboard the rear carriage. A spokesman for GWR joked they had done so “without tickets”.
The
squirrels started to attack those on board, prompting them to flee onto the platform and get into other carriages, The Sun reported.
A source told the newspaper: “It was complete pandemonium.
The squirrels got into the rear carriage and attacked people.
“All the passengers ran off the train and got another carriage. The conductor then had to lock the doors to stop the squirrels moving up the train.”
The train continued on its journey until it arrived at Redhill, its penultimate destination.
Staff members at the station spent half an hour attempting to lure the squirrels off the train using broomsticks, a telescopic grabber and peanuts. They succeeded in getting one of the rodents off the train but the other refused to leave.
Railway bosses decided to terminate the service altogether and send the train back to Reading, where it originated.
The decision meant some passengers heading to Gatwick were in danger of missing their flights.
A spokesman for GWR said: “We can confirm that the 08.54 Reading to Gatwick was terminated at Redhill after a couple of squirrels boarded the train at Gomshall without tickets, breaching railway byeclaws.
“We attempted to remove them at Redhill, but one refused to leave and was returned to Reading to bring an end to this nutty tail.”
www.bbc.co.uk
