A MAN has been arrested after he was spotted on a stretch of rail track in York.

British Transport Police said the 29-year-old man from Scarborough was arrested on suspicion of obstructing a railway line in York on Wednesday evening, and detained under the Mental Health Act.

Train drivers passing near Scarborough Terrace spotted the man on the tracks at 8pm yesterday and residents heard several horn blasts.

At least two trains were stopped on the section of track next to York Hospital and three police vehicles were seen parked by the pedestrian bridge.

According to an eye-witness, police attempted to track the suspect by his phone signal.