A person who was hit by a train in Swindon has been confirmed dead by police.

Before 6pm on Thursday evening, Great Western Railway cancelled all services between Swindon and Didcot parkway after a person was struck by a train.

Emergency services were scrambled to an area on the railway line near South Marston.

Initially, the condition of the person was not known but now, a British Transport Police spokesperson has confirmed they were killed during the incident.

They said: “Officers were called to the line near Swindon railway station at 5.48pm yesterday (19 September) to reports of a casualty on the tracks.

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“Paramedics also attended, however sadly a person was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident is not being treated as suspicious and a report will be prepared for the coroner.”

At the time, Wiltshire Police publicly warned drivers to expect “long delays” and traffic was at a standstill from around 6pm due to an 'incident on the railway'. 

After the police announcement, GWR confirmed someone had been hit: "It is with great sadness that we report a person has been struck by a train, leading to all lines being blocked. It is necessary to bring all trains in the affected area to an immediate stop.