Body found at rail line near Arbroath after ‘missing person’ report

A 40-year-old man was found dead near an Angus railway line at the weekend.

British Transport Police officers were called to the main Aberdeen to Dundee route on the outskirts of Arbroath at around 6.40am on Saturday after a train driver reported seeing a body at the side of the track.

It is thought the man who is said to be local may have been struck by an earlier train.

The driver had been travelling south from Aberdeen when he made the discovery, near the Arbroath Artisan Golf Club to the south-west of the town.

Tayside Police had contacted Network Rail at around 3am to confirm they were urgently seeking a missing person. After being informed that the body had been sighted, officers undertook a search of the train line and closed off the track until 10.30am.

Seven trains were cancelled between Aberdeen and Dundee as a result of the incident, with 18 partly cancelled and a further 21 delayed.

On Monday, British Transport Police confirmed inquiries are continuing.

A spokesman said there appeared to be no suspicious circumstances, and the family have been informed.