Fuming rail passengers trying to get to Oxford were left freezing on a platform today - despite having already bought tickets.

Other passengers already on board an overcrowded two-carriage Cotswold Line train found themselves travelling free.

The mix-up happened after a train was cancelled, leaving scores of commuters stranded at Hanborough station.

When the replacement train arrived it turned out to be a third of the size - and hardly anyone could get on.

Many people already on the Thames Trains service had not paid and there was no room for a conductor to get through the crowd to collect fares.

One woman who stepped off the train at Hanborough for a breath of fresh air, found she could not get back on and was left behind.

No-one was available for comment from Thames Trains.

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