A MAN suspected of causing more than £500,000 worth of damage to trains and railway stations has been arrested.

The 24-year-old man, from East Sussex, was arrested after graffiti tags were sprayed at a tube station in London.

Three vandals were spotted at Arsenal underground station in the early hours of Boxing Day.

The man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, assaulting an emergency worker during the arrest and trespass. The two other suspects fled the scene.

He has since been released on bail with orders preventing him from using the railway and carrying spray paint cans.

Police say the tags sprayed on the walls are linked with an ongoing operation that is investigating years’ worth of graffiti damage to the railway network.

The damage has totalled more than £500,000 and has impacted train operators across London and the South East.

The Sussex man’s arrest was part of a crackdown on graffiti on the rail network.

As part of Operation Sirius, British Transport Police officers are patrolling stations and routes throughout the South East.

The operation began at the start of December and nine arrests have been made so far.

British Transport Police Chief Inspector Stuart Middlemas said: “Tackling vandalism on the railway is very important.

"It stops trains being taken out of service to be cleaned, ensuring more services are available to passengers, but most importantly it protects the people who decide to trespass on the tracks to commit such vandalism."

He added: “It’s well known that the railway is incredibly dangerous, and trespassing can easily result in loss of life or life-changing injuries. Operations like Sirius are dedicated to preventing this.”