A Belgian train driver has admitted to deliberately driving his vehicle at a snail’s pace to try and get sacked in a bid to avoid working his one-year notice period.

Cédric Grumiaux told local media he has been offered a better job in the private sector with much better pay and conditions but cannot get out of his current contract with the state-owned SNCB rail firm.

He said that as many as 70 other drivers are in the same boat but that he is the only one who has so far dared to publicly admit their secret strategy of delaying trains.

”We are a group of drivers who have handed in their notice and we are trying to appeal to our management about the one year notice period,” Mr Grumiaux told RTL radio.

“We knew very well that by taking this sort of action and that if we spoke to the press as I did, there would be the threat of being sacked. That is why I did what I did,” he said.