By David Goodwin 

VIOLENCE erupted on a trouble-hit train service to Inverclyde resulting in a ticket examiner being struck on the head after a can of beer was hurled across a carriage by a boozed-up yob.

The incident on the Glasgow to Wemyss Bay line on Saturday night is the latest in a spate of anti-social offences on the route – including a fire extinguisher being thrown trackside at Drumfrochar Station, near the spot where vandals derailed a late night service in 1994, killing the train driver and a passenger.

An eyewitness who saw the weekend’s incident said the ticket examiner was shaken up by the attack. ScotRail today confirmed that the assault had taken place and say that British Transport Police (BTP) officers are investigating it.

A spokesman for the train operator said: “We do not tolerate violence and abuse towards our customers or staff, and we will assist the BTP in any way they require with the investigation.”

We told in December how youths are wreaking mayhem and misery on the line on a daily basis, despite BTP stepping up patrols in the wake of a string of alarming incidents.

Two members of ScotRail staff and a passenger had been the victims of attacks between Port Glasgow and Wemyss Bay before this latest incident.

A ScotRail source, who spoke to the Telegraph on condition of anonymity, told us: “Trains are being vandalised every day, with emergency door handles getting smashed and putting the public in danger.

“Fire extinguishers are used to soak trains and emergency lights are stolen as well. 

“Things are so bad that staff have been told not to come out of the back cab for their own safety.”

We revealed last week how vandals had struck again by hurling rocks inside a carriage and smashing it up.

Shocked eyewitnesses looked on in horror as louts ran amok between Branchton and Whinhill stations.

A reader who snapped a photo of the damage, above, on his phone said:

“The yobs got on the train at Branchton and started chucking rocks down the carriage and smashing glass.”

The beer can attack happened as the train was en-route from Glasgow to Wemyss Bay. The BTP had not responded to our request for a comment on the matter at time of going to press.