A distressed passenger who reported a 'suspicious' bag left on the train platform in Blackburn said she was shocked by the staff’s response.

The passenger, who has asked to remain anonymous, and her husband were waiting for the Blackburn to Clitheroe line train on Monday (July 10) at around 1.10pm.

The woman said she was sat opposite a hooded man who “jumped on the train” to Rainford just as the doors were closing, despite the train having been there for a while, and left his rucksack on the platform.

Northern confirmed the bag was collected by the owner later that day, but the passenger who reported the bag remains concerned by the way the response to the situation.

Recounting the 'frightening' experience on the platform, she said: “He jumped on the train just before the doors closed and left his rucksack on the platform.

"I immediately ran to the ticket office but there was no one at the desk to start with.

"Eventually, a woman arrived and I told her and we all went and stood at the other end of the platform. 

“There was another young couple and the girl was quite distressed and upset so I was comforting her.

"While we were waiting, a cleaner who was sweeping the platform saw the bag and just picked it up.

"He walked past us with it in his hand so I asked ‘what are you doing?’ and he said he was taking it to lost property.

“I was shocked. Surely there’s a procedure in place to handle this incident. Our train eventually came and we were just so relieved to get on it.

“So much was going through my mind, look what happened in Manchester [Arena bombing].

"I would never have forgiven myself if something happened and I didn’t report it. But I’m shocked by the way it was handled.”

The woman said she was on hold to the British Transport Police (BTP) for 40 minutes until she gave up because she couldn’t get through.

She said: “You’re told on every trip that if you see anything suspicious to report it but the fact I couldn’t get through to anyone is awful. I’m still shaken up by it.”

Responding to the woman’s complaint about Blackburn station’s security, Craig Harrop, regional director at Northern, said: “We take the safety and security of our customers very seriously.

"All Northern’s staff working at stations are trained in security to determine between suspicious items and lost property or discarded items.

“In this case a bag was left on the platform by a customer who boarded the train to Rainford.

"A cleaner noticed the bag and was quickly able to assess and identify it as lost property, which is a very common occurrence at this station.

“He took the bag to the customer service office and informed the customer service staff and it was later collected by its owner later the same day.”

Responding to the woman’s complaint about the long wait time, British Transport Police said the phone number can sometimes have hold times during particularly busy periods, which is why people are encouraged to use the text number which is monitored 24/7.

A BTP spokesperson said: "We take all reports made to British Transport Police seriously.

"In an emergency, we ask passengers to report to BTP by calling 999; if this isn't possible, they can also text us discreetly via 61016 which is monitored 24/7 and officers can be deployed to a location if required.

"For non-emergency reports, passengers can report online, or by calling 0800 40 50 40."