TRAINS were delayed for up to two hours last Wednesday after a wooden ladder was chucked on the overhead power lines between Kilwinning and Stevenston.

British Transport Police were called just after 2pm to the incident which affected dozens of commuters until around 4pm.

The incident caused disruption to trains from Glasgow Central to Largs and Ardrossan Harbour and vice versa, with one commuter stuck in the delay for 40 minutes.

Speaking to the Herald, he said: “I was having to wait for the train and saw a message from Scotrail saying a train was approaching soon but then it said shortly afterwards that the train was now delayed.

“The communication from the company wasn’t great and I was standing at the level crossing looking for a bus and train at the same time to see what would come first.

“The disruption resulted in me being 40 minutes late for a business meeting so it was very inconvenient and the trains seemed to take a long time to get back to normal.” A British Transport Police (BTP) spokesman said: “We were called to the line between Kilwinning and Stevenston stations shortly after 2pm on Wednesday, August 12, following a report of an obstruction on the line.

“BTP officers and Network Rail staff attended the scene and found a wooden ladder on top of the overhead power lines.  “The ladder was removed and enquiries into how it came to be there are ongoing.”