A man was held in connection with a string of offences after passengers were left stranded and offered cab refunds after a "severe" incident at a busy station.

Police were called to Westcliff station after reports of a trespasser on the line.

c2c tweeted to inform passengers about the incident and how Greater Anglia was accepting c2c tickets and how passengers could claim back for costs of taxi fairs.

A spokesman for British Transport Police said: "‘British Transport Police were called to Westcliff on Sea station at 9.56pm yesterday (9 September) following reports of a trespasser.

"Officers attended and a man was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence, possession of a bladed article, and obstruction of the railway.

"The railway lines re-opened shortly after 3am."

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A c2c spokesman said: "We are really sorry for the difficulties our customers faced travelling home late last night. We were unable to run any trains between Pitsea and Southend from shortly after 10pm, after the overhead power lines were turned off while the police dealt with an incident. While we attempted to organise a rail-replacement bus service, no buses were available at such short notice.

"Once it became clear we would be unable to run our final trains of the night, our staff informed customers that we will pay for their taxi fare in addition to our usual compensation for delays. If you were affected by this, please email us at contact@c2crail.co.uk with your taxi receipt and ticket details."