A man has been arrested on suspicion of arson after a fire shut down a station.

Passengers were evacuated from West Hampstead railway station, which serves the London Overground, after an alarm was pulled during the police incident on Saturday (March 9).

The station was shut off from the public at 3.31pm, with the entrance blocked with police vehicles and fire services swarming the area.

Officers were called to an incident of anti-social behaviour at the station, the British Transport Police said.

A man was arrested on suspicion of arson and taken into custody.

There was reportedly a small fire set off at the station, which was contained, and two officers suffered mild smoke inhalation.

A spokesperson for the British Transport Police said: “Other than a short delay, trains continued running throughout the incident.”

Eyewitnesses said they saw police kicking down a locked door at the station and there was a sense of panic at the time.

The incident comes after another police incident at a West Hampstead station the day before (March 8).

West Hampstead Thameslink station was shut for hours after a person was hit by a train, causing a major impact to the Thameslink service that day.