Two toddlers were stranded on a railway station after a train door closed and separated them from their mother.

The mum was forced to watch helplessly as the train left the station, leaving her unsupervised children metres away from deadly live rails.

A Sussex Police spokeswoman said the incident happened after the mother helped the youngsters, believed to be three-year-old twins, on to the station at Goring.

When she climbed back on the train to fetch a buggy the doors closed behind her and the train moved off The distressed mother called the children's father as concerned passengers called the police.

A Sussex Police spokeswoman said: “She had put both children on the platform, they were both aged three a son and daughter.

“Then she went to get the buggy and the train doors shut.

“We got a calls from passengers, she was very distressed, and calling her husband to come and get the children.

“She got off the train at Angmering, then had to get another one back.

“Within minutes their dad had turned up.

“The father was there before the police got there.”

West Worthing MP Peter Bottomley said: “Clearly there are a number of things that could have been done differently.

“I’m sure the station staff and the train staff will think ‘we should have seen what was happening’.

“Most people hearing about this sad event will see that these events are very rare and thank heaven no one was hurt.

“But hopefully lessons can be learned to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

A spokesman for Southern Railway, that operates the trains, said: “We still have to look at the CCTV to see exactly what happened and whether we need to investigate it.”

The train company offered no explanation as to why it had taken so long to review the footage.

Sharon Hedges, manager of train watchdog Passenger Focus, said: “This incident is very concerning and we await the results of the Southern investigation but clearly passenger safety should always be of paramount importance.”

Did you see the accident, or do you know the family involved? Contact The Argus at news@theargus.co.uk or call 01273 544 516.