A man sustained serious injuries and was taken to hospital last night after he was struck by a train close to Bury St Edmunds.

British Transport Police officers were called to the scene about 200 metres north of the town’s railway station at around 9.30pm.

The man, believed to be in his late forties, became trapped under the train and was dragged beneath the front carriage for a short distance.

He was released by Suffolk Fire & Rescue Service and taken to the station foyer where his condition was stabilised by East of England Ambulance Service paramedics and a volunteer doctor from the Suffolk Accident Rescue Service charity.

The man was found to have suffered serious multiple injuries and he was transferred by ambulance to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge for treatment, where he remains this morning.

A transport police spokesman said they were continuing their enquiries today but were not treating the incident as suspicious.

The train was part of the Bury to Cambridge rail service. The line was closed until 10.45pm.