A PASSENGER was beaten about the head with a bottle and belt buckle after he screwed up a cannabis joint which youths had dropped on a train.

Blood was spattered on the ground at Walthamstow Central station when the Chingford man alighted from the 3.53pm train from Liverpool Street to Chingford after the beating.

The incident has sparked criticism from rail workers who claim train operator Wagn is not doing enough to protect rail workers and users.

Staff and passengers thought the man had been stabbed and rumours spread that a murder had been committed.

The 36-year-old man decided to get a minicab to his home before police and an ambulance arrived at the scene.

He had been savagely beaten by the gang after he objected to their drug taking activities on the train. He picked up a cannabis joint they had dropped and destroyed it on November 19 at about 4.40pm.

The group of five black youths boarded the train at Hackney and the scuffle began in the carriage a short while after.

The man was then beaten repeatedly round the head. The youths fled the train at Walthamstow Central.

When officers visited the man at his home, he said he did not want any police action to be taken.

But this week rail workers have claimed that Wagn which operates the Chingford to Liverpool Street line is not doing enough to protect staff and passengers using the service.

They say there are fewer and fewer staff which means that criminals now believe they can get away with robberies and assaults without fear of getting caught.

In recent weeks, a worker at Chingford station suffered a broken cheekbone from an attack, a worker at St James Street station was held up at gunpoint and a worker at Bethnal Green was punched in the face.

Drivers claim they feel unprotected since the guards were removed from trains and CCTV was brought in instead.

Staff have asked Wagn for an urgent meeting on December 10 to discuss the problems.

They say there have been major problems with security cameras and often nothing useable is caught on them.

Glen Wallis, branch secretary of the RMT union, said: "It is getting too dangerous for our members to do their job.

"We should increase the number of police, sort out the CCTV and improve the duty of care towards our staff."

A Wagn spokeswoman said: "Unfortunately incidents of violence do happen occasionally with staff, but staff safety is one of our top priorities.

"If they do suffer physical abuse, they are allowed to take time of work but some people choose to carry on. All stations have CCTV for passenger and staff safety.

She said staff had conflict avoidance training, denied that CCTV cameras were not operating properly and said they were working well as a deterrent.