Ninety passengers had to be rescued from a train in Corsham after it became stranded in the floods early last Friday.

The train, travelling from London to Swansea, ground to a halt after it became stuck in four-metre deep floodwater at Pound Pill just before 1am.

A train had passed through the area 30 minutes before without a problem but when the next train came to a standstill, to wait for clearance, it found itself surrounded in water.

First Great Western and Network Rail arrived within 30 minutes and were later joined by emergency services to help get passengers out. A local authority rest centre was also prepared.

One passenger on board, Robin Matthews, tweeted “Urm this is going to be a long night. I’m on a train, in a river.”

Passengers were kept fed and watered by staff on board while an evacuation plan was drawn up by the emergency services. At one point a boat had to be used to get to the train.

Passengers were finally freed four hours later at 5am after they were moved into the last two carriages. The train was reversed and passengers were able to get off at a less flooded spot. All of the people on board were taken home by taxi.

A spokesperson from First Great Western said: “The customers on board were absolutely fantastic. The rain was particularly hefty, so there was a lot of ground water and rubble which had rolled from the sides onto the tracks.

“It was clear it wasn’t going anywhere safely, so emergency services were called whilst we attempted to get to the train and plans were made to evacuate the passengers.”