AN ELDERLY woman boarding a Metro service on a mobility scooter crashed through the train's doors and onto a track.

The woman drove onto the train at Brockley Whins station, South Tyneside, with enough force to break open the opposite door's lock, a spokesman for Metro operator Nexus said.

The scooter got stuck in the doors and the woman fell out, the spokesman said.

She suffered bruising but was not seriously hurt.

Nexus has begun an investigation into the incident, which happened on Monday morning.

A spokesman said a door being forced open is "unprecedented".