South Eastern Railway has confirmed that a member of its security staff was assaulted at Margate railway station last night (June 24) amid disorder from some of the high volume of people trying to use the service.
Access to the station was restricted as very high numbers of people who had travelled to visit the beach attempted to catch trains home.
British Transport Police and Kent Police attended the station and seafront in force to help deal with the disruption.
Scott Brightwell, Safety Planning and Performance Director at South Eastern Railway, said: “The exceptionally hot weather has led to very high numbers of people travelling to and from the coast, and last night this, alongside some disorder, meant access to the station had to be temporarily restricted so we could keep everyone safe.
“A member of our security team was assaulted during the incident. This is completely unacceptable and we take a zero-tolerance approach to abuse.
“We worked closely with British Transport Police and Kent Police to manage the situation, and the station was reopened as soon as it was safe.
“We know it was a difficult and unsettling evening for customers at Margate station, and we’re sorry to everyone affected. Customers whose journeys were delayed can claim compensation through Delay Repay, and full details are available on our website.
“With extreme heat continuing, there is a higher risk of disruption and journeys may be affected at short notice. We’re asking customers to only travel if absolutely necessary and if travel is essential to check before they travel. We’d like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding.”
British Transport Police added: “Officers were called to Margate railway station at 7.55pm yesterday (24 June) following reports of a fight at the station. Officers attended and a teenage boy was arrested on suspicion of affray.”
Southeastern has additional staff and mobile response teams in place across the network. Extra water is available at stations and on trains and engineering teams are positioned to respond quickly to incidents
Customers whose journeys are delayed can claim compensation via Delay Repay
Full details are available at: https://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/contact-us/delay-repay
