A trespasser who crossed rail tracks in a bid to take a shortcut caused delays to commuters during rush hour last night.

The woman was spotted on the railway line near Norbiton station by a train driver, who stopped and asked her to get on the 5.27pm Waterloo loop service he was driving.

A South West Trains spokesman said: “She was spotted immediately by a train driver.

"She was a bit confused because she didn’t see anything wrong in what she was doing.”

The spokesman said the train was delayed for about 20 minutes and several more trains between New Malden and Kingston were delayed for up to 15 minutes afterwards.

The woman was not injured during the incident, which was also reported to British Transport Police (BTP) at 6.02pm on Monday, January 9.

A BTP spokesman said: “The woman is believed to have been taking a short-cut and has since been reported for trespass.

“Officers are currently looking into the circumstances surrounding the incident.”

If you have any information about the incident, please contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference 408 of 9/1/2012.