Louis Smith gets apology over ticket check of black rail passengers

Cambridgeshire gymnast Louis Smith has received an apology from Virgin Trains over a ticket check of black passengers.

The Olympic medallist, who grew up in Peterborough, was travelling on Virgin Trains East Coast when he claimed only he and another black passenger travelling in First Class had their tickets checked by a waiter serving refreshments.

Louis tweeted about the incident saying: "This train journey certainly got a lot more interesting and political."

Virgin Trains has said sorry and is investigating the incident.

Louis Smith won a silver medal on the pommel horse at the London Olympics in 2012 following a bronze at the same event in Beijing four years earlier. He again came second in the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Virgin Trains apologised to Louis Smith in a reply to his tweets saying the complaint would be investigated.

A Virgin Trains East Coast spokesperson told ITV News: “We’re extremely sorry for the experience of Louis and fellow passengers. We are looking into the incident as a matter of urgency.”