A cyclist damaged a level crossing barrier after attempting to beat a red light.

The crash in Station Road, Rainham, near the railway station led to the beam remaining stuck in the down position.

A picture was taken by passer-by Sarah Unsworth shortly after 7pm on Wednesday (October 11).

She said: “I got off the train at Rainham and saw the barriers were down and smashed.

“I called Network Rail to report it, and the man said they watched it happen on CCTV and that a cyclist had tried to jump it, failed and had damaged it.

“The barriers remained down for some time with cars going up and down Station Road.

“They queued for a while before they started to turn around and go a different way.

“To Network Rail’s credit, when I got my normal train in the morning it was all fixed.”

A Network Rail spokesman confirmed that just before 7pm on Wednesday someone on a bicycle cycled into the barrier.

“According to our log, the cyclist tried to run a red light and hit into the barrier,” she added.

“This caused damage to the level crossing barrier, but was quickly fixed.”

The rider is not believed to have suffered any serious injuries.