Brexit supporter halts trains at busy St Pancras rail station

A Brexit supporter who blocked Eurostar trains to France by climbing on top of a tunnel overlooking railway lines, has been jailed.

Terry Maher clambered onto a railway viaduct near St Pancras International Station with a St George’s flag, chargers for his phone and warm clothing and refused to budge for 13 hours.

British Transport Police described it as “an extremely hazardous” area.

He eventually climbed off the tunnel voluntarily after a long stand-off with negotiators.

Maher’s actions stopped high-speed trains travelling to the South-east and France, disrupting thousands of commutes and delaying holidays.

On arrest, the 44-year-old, of Cubitt Street, Camden, complained about the police, illegal immigrants, foreign aid and politicians, who he accused of messing up Brexit.

In total, 88 trains had to be cancelled and about 22,000 people were directly affected, delayed, inconvenienced or had to abandon their travel plans.

International passengers, who were intending to travel on the Eurostar from St Pancras International, were stranded overnight in London.

The cost of the disruption is estimated to be more than £1million.

Other services to Kent were also cancelled.

Maher was found guilty of malicious obstruction of the railway and sentenced to one year in jail at Blackfriars Crown Court on Monday of last week.

Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Dean Percival said: “This has been described as the single most expensive incident in the history of high-speed railway in Britain.

“However, not only did it cost the rail industry, it also cost thousands of commuters and holiday-makers their time, significantly delaying their journeys and leaving them stranded at stations desperate for the situation to be resolved.

“Maher’s selfish actions profoundly impacted the day to day lives of the public; that impact is what he was brought to court to answer for.”