A man who threatened to blow up London Bridge station on the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks - causing rail chaos - has been jailed for 16 months.

Shiraj Niranjan Jayasuriya later told police he wanted "London destroyed" after making a bomb threat on a packed commuter train last year, closing the station and leading to 500 rush-hour trains being cancelled or delayed.

In the early evening of September 11, Jayasuriya, pulled the emergency levers on a train approaching London Bridge.

Blackfriars Crown Court heard yesterday (January 21) how Jayasuriya, of White City, was later abusive to a member of rail staff who tried to reset the alarms in order to move the train, saying there were "bombs everywhere".

After his arrest, the 46-year-old admitted making a bomb hoax.

Chief Superintendent Paul Brogden from British Transport Police said: "We take all threats seriously and today’s sentencing shows that we will prosecute people who threaten our transport network.

"There were widespread disruptions to the station and to thousands of passengers on the day and I welcome the sentence handed down."