Commuters were left stranded after c2c trains were cancelled during rush hour.

The problems were caused by a broken down train at Limehouse last night, which caused Shoebury-bound services to be suspended between London Fenchurch Street and Barking.

London-bound services were cancelled altogether for several hours.

The disruption forced passengers to reach Barking via the Tube so they could catch Southend and Shoebury-bound trains.

Benjamin Roe, 20, from Chadwell St Mary, had spent a day out in London and was left struggling to get home.

He said: "It was hell. People were shouting at the staff. I even saw two people kick a train.

"The overcrowding was terrible. Some people had been on the train for an hour and 50 minutes."

A c2c spokesman said the broken down train had inevitably caused problems to services in both directions.

He said: "It was a 12-coach train and it had equipment failure in the driver's cab just after it left Fenchurch Street. It stopped on the side of Limehouse station.

"Because it is only a two-track railway there, it effectively blocked everything behind it. We tried to fix it, but it had to be terminated at Limehouse and we asked people to get off the train and catch the next one. "

Peter Slattery, co-chairman of the Southend Rail Travellers' Association, said many people had an extra half an hour added to their journey as they tried to catch the district line, and many suffered worse delays.

He added: "It's disappointing about train failures, but it happens.

"Realistically, cars break down, so trains do break down occasionally as well. It's how the situation is managed that counts."