Tube passengers stranded at 1.30am

Terrified Tube passengers were forced to walk in darkness along the track after their train broke down early today.

The District line train came to a halt near Hornchurch at about 1.30am, leaving those on board stranded 400 yards from the station.

Passengers who demanded an explanation from the driver said he told them: "Don't take it out on me, it's not my fault. I want to go home too. This is a joke."

They were finally led, "shaking with fear", to safety after a supervisor from Hornchurch station guided them to the platform by moonlight. One said: "We were terrified. I have never been so afraid in my life."

The passengers' ordeal started shortly before midnight with delays in the Embankment area, believed to have been caused by a body under a train. As their train finally approached Hornchurch, they were then held for a further 45 minutes when the power failed.

Said Lebeze, 41, who was on his way to Upminster, said: "We were terrified. We couldn't see a thing and it was freezing. I had never been so tired and afraid in my life.

"Treating us like this was disgusting. It's against health and safety regulations. It's a nightmare."

Mr Lebeze said he was "shaking with fear" as he and other passengers were forced to walk in darkness alongside the live rail. The supervisor did not have a torch and the only light came from the moon, he said.

Mr Lebeze, an electronics systems engineer, added: "The driver forced us to get out of the train. They broke all the rules on earth." When they reached the station they were told they could take taxis home.

A London Underground spokesman said: "We had some power supply problems last night and a small number of trains on the District line were affected."

He added that leading passengers along the track to safety was "normal procedure".