Jonathan Hutchings informs us of the sad news of a Canterbury woman being hit and killed by a train last week, not far from Canterbury West station.

A 65-year-old woman from Canterbury was hit by a train on Friday, 4 October.

The incident occurred just after 10pm in Tonford Lane, a small residential area 3 miles away from the University of Kent.

Suspicions of an accident first arose when Southeastern staff reported seeing blood on the side of the 19.14 train from Ramsgate to Charing Cross.

The driver stated that he remembered hitting something, but thought it was just a bird or small animal. Police officers and paramedics were sent to the crossing in Tonford Lane.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Delays and cancellations to Southeastern trains were caused throughout Kent by this accident as emergency services prepared a report for the coroner.

This is the second fatality at the Whitehall level crossing in three months but with neither of the incidents being considered suspicious by the police, this can only be considered an unfortunate coincidence.