Vandals halt Virgin train

Vandals threw stones at the Virgin train driver

Around 500 passengers were stranded on a packed commuter train near Coventry on Tuesday night after it was attacked by vandals.

The 1815BST train from Euston to Wolverhampton was forced to stop after concrete blocks were dumped on the line at Willenhall at 1940BST.

When the driver got out to investigate stones were hurled at him and some windows on the Virgin train were smashed.

The driver was able to clear the obstruction and the train got underway again after a short delay.

British Transport Police have launched an investigation into the incident which brought chaos to the mainline into the West Midlands from London.

Spate of incidents

It also follows a similar incident near Kilsby tunnel at Daventry on Monday night when maintenance equipment was placed on the line in an attempt to de-rail a high-speed train.

And earlier on Tuesday 40 passengers had to be led from a train in east London after a traffic cone was thrown on to overhead power cables near Barking.

The cone brought down electrical equipment which the 1615BST Grays to Fenchurch Street LTS (London Tilbury and Southend) service collided with at about 1635BST.

The cab window was smashed in the impact, showering the driver with glass. He was shocked but otherwise uninjured, and the train was brought to a halt.

No passengers were injured but they were led from the train and bus services were laid on to take them to their destinations.

The line was closed. It was expected to reopen at around midnight BST.