UK train cancelled after 'freeloader' squirrel refuses to get off

London: A train in Britain was cancelled after a pair of squirrels boarded the service and one refused to get off, Great Western Railway (GWR) said on Wednesday.

The disruption on Saturday forced the 08:54 (0754 GMT) service from Reading in southern England to be terminated before it could reach Gatwick Airport, its destination.

Staff tried to shoo the furry freeriders off when the train reached Redhill, Surrey, but one squirrel refused to disembark, GWR said.

"We can confirm that the 0854 Reading to Gatwick was terminated at Redhill after a couple of squirrels boarded the train at Gomshall without tickets, breaching railway byeclaws," a spokesperson for the railway said.

"We attempted to remove them at Redhill, but one refused to leave and was returned to Reading to bring an end to this nutty tail," they added.

While pets such as dogs often take trains in Britain, rodents are a less frequent passenger.

There are an estimated 2.7 million grey squirrels in the UK and their population is growing, according to the Woodland Trust, a conservation charity.