A five-year delay in the building of a promised footbridge at Stone Crossing has been slammed by the council chairman and local MP.

In 2009 Stone Parish Council was informed by Network Rail that a new footbridge would be installed at the station to address concerns over passenger safety.

But the promised bridge has yet to be built, leaving passengers no option but to continue using a crossing which is sometimes unmanned.

Council chairman John Burrell said: “Network Rail has failed to provide a safe way for passengers to cross the track who arrive after the crossing keeper has gone home and so have chosen to prevent them crossing at all.

“The situation is more frustrating because Network Rail has employed a security guard to stop people from using the level crossing rather than employ someone who can help them cross safely.

“The only way that passengers alighting the last few trains can now cross the lines at night is via a route which is convoluted, dark and, to many, a frightening experience.

“Accounts of passengers having to use head torches or lighters to illuminate passage along this route make this a completely unacceptable situation.”

Dartford MP Gareth Johnson added: “As the name suggests, the whole point of Stone Crossing is to help people to get across the railway line.

“I fear that inaction from Network Rail will result in more people seeking alternative means of crossing the lines by trespassing on the line in order to get home.

“I urge them to seek to find a workable solution to this problem to ensure that those who are returning home on the trains late in the evening are able to get home safely.”

A Network Rail spokesman said: "We agree there is an issue for passengers crossing between platforms at Stone Crossing and we have posted security guards there to monitor the situation.

"This is because we have evidence that people are actually walking across the live railway, not just late at night but during the day as well. 

"We are working on a long term and short term solution, which we hope to be able to announce soon.

"It's not as simple as just building a bridge, as there is no room at the site for an accessible, ramped structure, which would mean passengers with reduced mobility or buggies would still have to use the foot crossing.

"Our crossing keepers and security guards have sadly been regularly subjected to abuse in the course of their duties at this station.

"They are there to look after everyone's safety and this a totally unacceptable."