Hundreds of commuters delayed after men verbally abuse train staff

South West Trains said the train, travelling from Portsmouth to Southampton, was stopped after the men refused to pay fares and were told to leave at the next station.

A spokesman said when a guard told the pair to get off the train, they used abusive language and only left when told that British Transport Police had been called.

After stopping at Fareham, the service then carried on towards Southampton.

The spokesman added: ‘As always, the safety and security of our passengers and staff is always our top priority and we will work with British Transport Police as required to ensure this.’

At the time of the incident South West Trains tweeted: ‘Apologies for late reply. Delays created as a result of confrontational fare evaders on earlier service delaying train.’