A MAN was killed last night after he was hit by a train in Stanford-le-Hope.

The man, believed to be in his 40s and from the Stanford-le-Hope area, was struck by the 4.54pm service from London Fenchurch Street to Pitsea, at about 6.01pm.

Paramedics from the East of England Ambulance Service attended, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene, 200 meters from Stanford-le-Hope station.

Emma Wiggins, spokesman for British Transport Police, said the death is currently being treated as unexplained.

She added: “Officers are currently working to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident, including how the man came to be by the tracks.

“A file will be prepared for the coroner.”

The railway line between Stanford-le-Hope and Pitsea was closed for more than four hours following the incident.

Rail replacement buses ran between the stations until the line was reopened at 10.10pm.

The incident comes less than a month after the last fatality on the tracks in Stanford-le-Hope, on December 20, near a foot crossing by Morely Hill.

The identity of the man involved in that incident, believed to be in his fifties and from Stanford-le-Hope, still hasn’t been released by British Transport Police or the coroner’s office.