A TRAIN guard was left shaken and unable to continue working after being spat at by a suspected fare jumper at Stonehouse Station.

The incident happened after a dispute on an evening service to Swindon.

It caused the cancellation of a train and left scores of people bound for Cheltenham and Stroud stranded in Wiltshire for more than an hour.

First Great Western spokeswoman Cath Millman said: "We take incidents of assault very seriously and any behaviour of this kind towards our staff is very unacceptable.

"He did not feel able to continue with his shift and we support that."

The man spat through the guard's cabin window at Stonehouse Station at 8.25pm on December 23.

Earlier he had failed to show a ticket after the guard tried to wake him outside Cheltenham.

Transport police say the man was feigning sleep and not responding to requests to see the ticket and was asked to get off at Gloucester.

But he did not disembark and instead bought a ticket to Stonehouse.

The lack of guard meant the service was cancelled, leaving about 50 people without the service for its return trip to Cheltenham.

The offender is described as white, with a dark or Mediterranean complexion. He is about 30, 6ft and stockily built.

Witnesses to the incident can call British Transport Police on 0800 405040 and quote incident 476 or December 23.