A train ‘jumped’ off the tracks in Froxfield, near Marlborough, when it hit debris that had been knocked onto the railway line by a lorry which collided with a bridge.

Train services between Pewsey and Hungerford were severely disrupted after the Eddie Stobart lorry hit the bridge at Oak Hill at around 5.15pm last night.

The 4.34pm First Great Western train from Paddington to Penzance collided with the debris at around 5.25pm.

No passengers were injured but the train was unable to be moved until around 10pm while safety checks were carried out on both the train and bridge.

Boat owner David Hartland, who moors near to where the incident happened, said:”I looked out of the window of my boat and I could see this lorry was stuck. It shouldn’t have been on the bridge but it must have been following a sat-nav.

“The bridge fell onto a track as a whole and there was another guy who was just driving past and he stopped and rang the police straight away to tell them to stop the trains.

“About five or ten minutes later the train came along and hit the bridge and then jumped off the track and landed back on it and then it jumped about a mile up the track.

“It was quite an event. All I heard was crash, bang, wallop.”

Network Rail engineers worked through the night to clear the track and make sure the bridge is safe.

A spokesman said: “Staff from both Network Rail and First Great Western were despatched to site immediately.

“Both lines to and from Westbury were closed, with services diverted via Melksham, while work took place to clear the debris, repair the train and secure the bridge.”

The train arrived at Westbury at around 11pm and the line reopened at approximately 5am today.

Road replacement coaches, taxis and additional train services were put on while the line was closed.

A First Great Western spokesman said: "We're very grateful that no-one was injured in what could have been a much more serious incident, and would like to thank all the passengers on board for their patience in difficult circumstances while we worked to get people moving as quickly and safely as possible.

"Full refunds have been offered to everyone on board, and we will be contacting each of them to see if there is anything further we can do to help."

Customers on other services delayed by this incident are likely to be entitled to compensation.