Gloucestershire-to-Wales line closed after derailment

A railway line between Gloucestershire and Wales is likely to be closed for four days following a derailment.

A freight train carrying containers came off the tracks west of Gloucester station, at 20:30 BST on Tuesday.

An empty container came off the wagon and "remains on the railway infrastructure". Nobody was injured.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch said it was sending a team to the scene to determine how it happened.

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) said the derailment was "deeply worrying".

"[It] suggests that the policy of cutting maintenance jobs and casualising key works out to private agencies and contractors is coming back to haunt transport services with a vengeance," the union said.

Network Rail said the RMT's view on the cause was "speculation".

'Not regular search'

Direct Rail Services, which was running the service, said recovery operations had begun to move the front of the train to a safe position.

The derailment caused debris to fall on a nearby road, British Transport Police said.

The police helicopter was called to help with the search for the container, which was found later.

The National Police Air Service tweeted it "certainly isn't something we look for on a regular basis".

Network Rail said the derailment was likely to cause problems until the weekend.

A spokesman said passengers heading towards Wales should travel to Bristol Parkway and change there.

Trains running towards Bristol and London are unaffected by the derailment.