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‘Very stubborn’ swan causes rail misery by blocking tracks

The swan left passengers stranded between Hove and Worthing.
The swan left passengers stranded between Hove and Worthing. The swan left passengers stranded between Hove and Worthing.

Rail passengers were left facing travel misery after a “very stubborn” swan blocked the line between Hove and Worthing.

Images posted to Twitter showed staff attempting to remove the bird from the tracks using a large stick.

Martin Clitheroe, 43, a train driver from Kent who witnessed the incident, said: “The train crew man on the other side was trying to get the swan to fly away, but obviously stopped as we approached to avoid the swan panicking.

“As we passed, he again attempted to get the swan to move.”

Southern Rail tweeted: “Due to a very stubborn swan on the line between Hove and Worthing, all lines are currently blocked.

“Tickets are currently being accepted on the 700 bus route between Brighton and Littlehampton.”

Southern Rail said the impasse caused the service to be down for around 40 minutes.