A 15-YEAR-OLD paperboy was left shocked after a piece of metal “exploded” out off a passing train on its way to Petersfield.

The teenager was returning home after delivering papers and was sitting on his bike at level crossing barriers when the train pulled out of Liss station at about 7.30am last Wednesday.

His mother, who works in Mainline Business Centre by the station, said: “My son was quite shocked and only had time to turn his head and shut his eyes when the bit ‘exploded’ as he put it, off the train.

“There was another chap standing there, also waiting at the barriers.”

The metal landed in the road on the station side of the barriers.

The family live in Western Road and the mother, whose son doesn’t want to be identified, said: “He said the metal was about half the size of a computer screen with cables hanging out of the back, with a hole in it.

“When my husband went to try and find the piece, there was a railway van there, so it looked like someone had come to investigate.”

South West Trains, which operates services on the London to Portsmouth line, said an investigation by rail engineers into the incident was started later the same day.

A spokesman for the rail company said: "A small part from the side of one of our Desiro trains became dislodged and came away from the train as it was leaving Liss. At the time, the train was travelling at a very low speed.

“Safety is our absolute priority. Regular checks are carried out on our trains and instances such as this are extremely rare.

“A full investigation will now take place into the cause of the incident and we will be speaking to the family of the paperboy as part of this investigation."