An overcrowded London Bridge Station since the upgrade work Pic: BBC news

London Bridge rail staff have been threatened and spat at by annoyed passengers due to delays and cancellations caused by engineering works, a union has said.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) General secretary Mick Cash said: “It is disgusting that staff charged with crowd control are being threatened, spat on and assaulted with hot coffee.”

Network Rail said that it was looking to make improvements, “We’re transforming London Bridge station, with more room for passengers and a huge increase in services on the Thameslink route with a much bigger concourse” a spokesman said.

However, The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has written to train companies demanding actions to be taken.

On 4 March passengers jumped over barriers because of overcrowding along with more problems on Monday because of a freight train that had broken-down.

“We want measures put in place immediately to protect our members from this threatening and abusive behavior,” Mick Cash said.

Train companies along with Network Rail have held a meeting on site at London Bridge, looking at what further improvements can be made.

Chris Denham, a spokesman for Network Rail, said: “Although it’s very busy and it has been very difficult, safety has been our absolutely priority.”