FIVE men have been arrested after a drunken brawl on a train in which passengers were injured.

People travelling on the 6.35pm Manchester Airport to Middlesbrough service on Wednesday looked on in horror as a fight broke out as the train neared Thirsk.

One passenger claimed the violence was triggered after a noisy group of men was asked to quieten down.

A British Transport Police spokeswoman said the train was delayed for an hour after arriving at Thirsk Station at 8.40pm, as two passengers who had been injured in the fracas were treated by paramedics before continuing their journeys.

She said the five arrested were all from the Middlesbrough and Teesside area and had been held in custody overnight due to the amount of alcohol they had consumed.

Detectives said numerous passengers came forward to offer witness statements before CCTV footage from the train was examined.