Squirrels Cause Chaos on Britain’s Gatwick Train, Leading to Service Cancellation
A pair of intrepid squirrels caused major disruption, forcing the cancellation of a Great Western Railway (GWR) train bound for Gatwick Airport, Sky News reports.
The furry stowaways boarded the 8:54 am train from Reading, prompting passengers to flee to other carriages in a bid to escape the unexpected furry fare.
Passengers alerted staff, who attempted to coax the squirrels off the train at Redhill using snacks. When that failed, they resorted to brooms, but the determined duo refused to budge.
The train operator ultimately cancelled the journey entirely, leaving passengers stranded and causing delays for other services.
Despite the disruption, a GWR spokesperson managed to find humor in the situation.
“We can confirm that the 0854 Reading to Gatwick was terminated at Redhill after a couple of squirrels boarded the train at Gomshall without tickets, breaching railway byeclaws,” the spokesperson said. “We attempted to remove them at Redhill, but one refused to leave and was returned to Reading to bring an end to this nutty tail.”