CHAOS reigned at Preston Railway station after the main West Coast route was shut following a crash in Cheshire.

Trains between Glasgow and London Euston were halted following the collision on Wednesday at 8.52am which left 45 people injured.

Customer service staff from Virgin descended on the station to advise customers, sending many of them on a local train to Manchester so they could catch express services to the capital from there - avoiding the scene of the smash at Winsford, between Crewe and Warrington.

Lorry driver Stephen Sumners from Leyland was on board at the time, as was prospective University of Central Lancashire student Kirsty Thompson who said: "The whole train shook then stopped. We were on there 10 minutes before help arrived."

A Railtrack spokesman confirmed that the express had been scheduled to stop at Preston and Lancaster. It was carrying 132 passengers.

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