A MAN was killed after he was hit by a train. 

The man was struck by London to Brighton train on the south side of Balcombe station just after 10am.

He was declared dead at the scene and services across Sussex were disrupted.

Commuters faced extended delays of up to an hour and a half as emergency crews and railway staff dealt with the incident. Services between Brighton and Three Bridges were cancelled.

Kate Henry, from Brighton, who was a contestant from this year's Great British Bake Off and on the train which hit the man posted on twitter “poor soul” and added “puts things into perspective a bit”.

Lines reopened just after midday but the knock on effects have been felt throughout the afternoon as the backlog of delayed trains was cleared.

A spokesman for British Transport Police said: "We were called to Balcombe station shortly after 10am on Wednesday, December 3, after reports a person had been struck by a train.

“Colleagues from Sussex Police and South East Coast Ambulance Service also attended, but a man was pronounced dead at the scene.

“Officers are working to identify the man, whose death is not being treated as suspicious, and inform his family. We will file a report for the coroner.”