A young boy almost fell through a hole in the floor of a moving tourist train because a panel had been removed.

The near-miss came when the child went to use the toilet and opened the door to find the floor missing and the carriage wheels exposed. His mother managed to grab him and narrowly prevent him slipping onto the undercarriage and tracks.

The boy suffered minor bruising and both he and his mother were treated for shock after the incident on the South Devon Railway last month.

The incident on June 22 was reported to the Rail Accident Investigation Branch, which is now looking into the matter.

Its initial report said that workers had removed the flooring in the toilet as they repaired the braking system on the ageing former British Rail carriage.

Staff had put a notice on the compartment door in the fourth carriage and attempted to secure it to prevent it being opened.

But the boy and his mother managed to open the door and found the floor missing and the carriage wheels exposed below. At the time, the train was travelling between Totnes Riverside and Buckfastleigh at around 20mph.

The mother reported the incident to the train guard and the toiler door was secured. The incident was reported to the RAIB three days later.