morgue

A dead body remained on a train for five hours without anyone noticing, it is claimed.

A 60-year-old man died of a heart attack after he boarded a train at Manchester Piccadilly.

According to the Scottish Sun, he had been due to get off the train eight minutes later at Stockport – but his body carried on to Bournemouth, 250 miles down the line.

The man appeared to have died at some point along the route after boarding the 6.27pm Cross Country service on Saturday.

A cleaner at Bournemouth made the tragic discovery at the town’s central train depot.

A source told the newspaper the man’s death likely went unnoticed due to coronavirus prevention measures on the network.

Train services are now subject to coronavirus restrictions around the UK (file photo) (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Brits have been ordered to only use transport for essential travel or if they are key workers, in order to slow the spread of the killer virus.

The measures have resulted in dramatic reductions in transport use, and seen train timetables up and down the country temporarily slashed back.

The source explained that conductors have been ordered not to interact with passengers due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

“They are not walking through carriages checking tickets and making sure everyone is OK, as they usually do.

“Their only task is to despatch trains safely. They spend the rest of the journey at the rear in their office.

“This poor fellow was dead on the train five hours before being found, which is heartbreaking in a civilised society.”

British Transport Police are said to be investigating

It is reportedly the second concerning incident on Cross County services in recent weeks during the UK lockdown.

An elderly woman with dementia travelling from Birmingham New Street to Exeter is said to have missed her stop and wound up at the wrong location.

She was meant to be on a two hour, 30 minute journey but ended up an hour away in Plymouth at 1am, so distressed paramedics had to be called.

The Scottish Sun reports the woman spent the night in hospital before being taken home by a relative.