British Transport Police has launched an appeal for information after this shocking picture of a man dangling his legs over the platform of a Sussex railway station was posted on Facebook.

The image was put on the popular page Spotted: Crawley, and is thought to show Three Bridges station.

A young man dangles his legs over the edge of the platform which is in use constantly and is part of the high-speed Southern network.

Trains regularly travel between Brighton and London Bridge, Victoria and St Pancras at 60mph.

A spokeswoman for the British Transport Police (BTP) said: “BTP is aware of images posted on a social networking site that appear to show a person dangling their legs from a platform at Three Bridges station.

“Although no one has come forward to report the incident, officers will be carrying out enquiries to establish the full details of the incident including when it is thought to have taken place.

“Some trains run at fast speed through the station. The person's actions are extremely irresponsible and the consequences could have been unthinkable.

“Officers would like to thank The Argus for bringing the image to their attention."

One shocked Facebook reader, Michelle Thomas, said: “The guy shouldn't be sitting there.

“It's unsafe and there are seats, a waiting room, even floor away from the side of the platform for him to sit, why sit there?

“If he's silly enough to sit there, what's to say he's not silly enough to not get up in time, drop something on the tracks....

“What if someone did go up behind him and push him onto the tracks (not saying they should)?

“It does set a bad example for kids - I keep a close eye on mine and they know not to be silly like he is but doesn't look good does it.”

A British Transport Police (BTP) spokesman said they were not aware of any other similar incidents occurring in Sussex.

Anyone with any information relating to the alleged incident at Three Bridges is asked to contact BTP on Freefone 0800 40 50 40 or text 61016, quoting incident reference B10 of 23/09/13.