The drunken antics of a London university rugby team forced a District Line Tube train to come to a halt and be taken out of service on Wednesday afternoon, leaving commuters reeling and the team suspended.

The London Evening Standard reported that the train travelling from Richmond to Upminster was halted just four stops into its journey, where all passengers were forced to disembark because of the team’s disruptive behaviour at Stamford Brook.

The players, who were wearing Imperial College rugby sweatshirts, were reportedly swigging from bottles of wine while engaged in a stripping game, in which the team attempted to jump off the train at each stop and remove a piece of clothing, then re-board the train before it left the station.

At least one of the players is understood to have stripped completely naked before boarding at Richmond, the paper reported. One witness called the incident “disgraceful” and said a “total disregard was shown to fellow passengers”. A British Transport Police spokesperson said its officers were called to Stamford Brook underground station due to reports of a group of naked men on a District Line train between Richmond and Upminster.

“We conducted a search of the area but did not find anyone matching the description,” the spokesperson said.

Imperial College issued the statement: “The Students’ Union has very clear policies and rules in place regarding the behaviour of all members of its clubs and societies.