A railway line was blocked after a train hit a shopping trolley which was thrown onto the tracks.

The incident, which happened at Canterbury West station at about 9.30am, caused long delays on the lines between Canterbury and Ashford International.

The train struck the trolley almost as soon as it left the station.

According to Southeastern, lines were reopened after its remains were removed from the track and underneath the train.

However, there are still delays of up to 20 minutes on some journeys as services recover.

The rail operator said it hoped trains would be running as normal by 11.30am.

The train, which was damaged, has been taken to a depot for repairs.