A rail passenger has criticised an operator after he claims he was offered a £4 refund on a £51 ticket for a journey which saw the train crash.

Wil Kitcher, 36, from Tunbridge Wells, suffered whiplash after he was a passenger on the Abellio Greater Anglia train which crashed at Roudham on April 10 at around 12.30pm.

Mr Kitcher was sitting in the first carriage on the Norwich to Cambridge service. He said he was helped by emergency crews and boarded a train to Cambridge to continue his journey.

But, shaken by the crash, he left the train at Thetford and carried on to London by other means of transport.

When he contacted Abellio three days later for a refund, having been unable to go to work since the incident, he claims he was told he could not have a full refund on his £51 ticket.

'At the time I wasn't bothered because I was just happy to be safe. When it happened there was genuinely a moment where I thought I might die.

'But then I sat at home for three days, and thought that I should really be able to reclaim the ticket after what had happened.

'When I phoned Abellio there was no apology and they told me that because I'd got off at Thetford, they had to refund me to that point and offered me £4. It was an insult and I didn't take it out of principle,' he said.

He added: 'There's been no compassion shown by Abellio at all. I've not gone after any compensation, but I think a refund is fair.

'They also said they were commended for what staff did at the scene, but I didn't see anyone there at the time.'

This paper has been contacted by two other passengers who are yet to hear from Abellio, despite giving details to the British Transport Police (BTP). The BTP is then supposed to send the names to Abellio.

A spokesman for Abellio said: 'We are sorry if there has been any confusion on this issue, but we have not offered Mr Kitcher £4 in compensation.

'At this point in the post-incident inquiry, no compensation has been offered or sent as it is inappropriate at this stage. However, we have sent £50 vouchers as a goodwill gesture and a £50 cheque to cover any immediate expenses, to all those passengers whose names have been passed to us by the British Transport Police.

'We are still seeking all the passengers' names from the British Transport Police, who have yet to pass on the full list of customers involved.

'We are acting and will continue to act in a supportive, sympathetic, helpful and customer-focused way in response to this incident.

'It is the subject of a number of independent and rail industry inquiries and we also need to act in accordance with the regulatory guidelines and legal parameters that govern such situations.

'There is a proper process for compensation in such circumstances and that will be followed.'