A rail passenger says a train driver threatened to throw him off his service after he complained about youths smashing up a carriage.

Graham Painting was on the last train from Brighton to London when rowdy teenagers started causing havoc.

He said: "There was a large group of kids in their mid teens, blokes and girls who were really drunk. They were being pretty boisterous and pretty objectionable to start with and then their behaviour got even worse.

"They started smashing each other and the train up, smashing fluorescent tube lights, chucking stuff about, fighting and drawing blood.

"They were running up and down the train making everybody else feel uncomfortable but the other passengers just looked down at the floor or out of the window and no one said anything."

Mr Painting says he asked the driver and guard to intervene but they were reluctant to take action.

He said: "The driver told me I should not pull the cord because it was the last train and he wanted to get there on time. He said if there was a problem I should use a mobile phone to call the transport police rather than ask him.

"Eventually he came and ticked them off but he threatened to throw me off the train as well for complaining."

Mr Painting said the guard seemed scared to challenge the aggressive teenagers on his own and only agreed to enter the carriage if he went too.

He said: "I had to really chivvy him along to get him to even go into the carriage where they were. I thought the guard was supposed to guard the train and it would be part of his duty to do something about the problem.

"The kids were only aged about 15 and they were not particularly tough but their behaviour was very intimidating and it was totally unacceptable.

"I couldn't believe I was the only one who said anything and no one backed me up at all.

"I do sympathise with the staff. The guard told me he had to put up with similar trouble every night for a salary of £16,000, which is pretty terrible."

"I just think there should have been more staff, especially as it was the last train and the company must have known it would be full of drunken teenagers."

Connex spokesman David Ewart confirmed the carriage had been vandalised and said the train was ten minutes late after the cord was pulled.

He said: "We are going to get reports from the conductor and driver to find out exactly what happened.

"Staff are provided with mobile phones to call for the police to meet the train if there is a problem of this kind or if they feel intimidated. That did not happen on this occasion.

"It is likely the driver was trying to avoid delaying the train. It could take up to half an hour for the police to deal with an incident. As it was the last train it is likely a lot of those on board had connections to meet."