A BEER festival at a rail museum hit the buffers after a broken down train left revellers stranded.

The famous Chappel Beer Festival was in full swing when a train failed on the Marks Tey to Sudbury branch line on Saturday afternoon.

It resulted in services on the single-track line being cancelled at about tea-time.

Most festival-goers arrive at Chappel by train, so the breakdown left some struggling to get home and others unable to get to the Saturday evening session.

Halstead Gazette: David Banks was left frustrated by the train issuesDavid Banks was left frustrated by the train issues (Image: Newsquest)

David Banks, from Maldon, was among a crowd waiting outside the station for a replacement bus service.

"I've been coming here for six or seven years - we shouldn't be subjected to this," he said.

"We don't know what's going on. No one has told us anything. We're just stuck here. It's disgusting.

"We came here to have a nice day out and it's ended up like this."

Other festival-goers were happy to sit it out.

One said: "The next three trains are cancelled apparently, so we are going to have to get well and truly sozzled.

"There are worse places to be stuck."

Halstead Gazette: The breakdown left several people stranded or unable to get to the evening session on SaturdayThe breakdown left several people stranded or unable to get to the evening session on Saturday (Image: Newsquest)

Saturday evening was the last session of the five-day festival. Most sessions were sold out in advance.

Volunteer staff tried to keep festival-goers updated.

Organiser Brendan Sothcott, of the East Anglian Railway Museum and Campaign For Real Ale, said: "Some people are getting taxis or phoning home to get a lift back.

"Others can't get here. There should have been people arriving for the last hour or so but they can't get here because there are no trains.

"Unfortunately, we've got beer to sell and no one to drink it."

A Greater Anglia spokesperson said: "Due to a train fault, the Marks Tey to Sudbury train service was suspended between 4pm and 8pm on Saturday, September 9. 

"We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

“A limited rail replacement bus service was in operation while we sourced a replacement train, before the train service resumed from 20:00 onwards.

“Anyone who is delayed for more than 15 minutes can claim delay repay at greateranglia.co.uk/delayrepay.”