POLICE have confirmed that a man who was killed when he was hit by a train days before Christmas was from Darlington.

The 22-year-old, who has yet to be publicly named, was believed to have been on a night out when he was hit by a train at Newcastle Central Station early on December 22.

The man, who was dressed in a pin-striped suit, had to be removed from under the train's carriage by firefighters, before being taken to Newcastle General Hospital where he died from multiple injuries.

British Transport Police had difficulty identifying the man because all he was carrying was a key.

They alerted the Missing Person's Unit, in London, in a bid for information.

But police last night confirmed that the victim's mother had come forward and confirmed who the dead man was.

A spokesman said: "We can confirm the man is from Darlington, but we are not releasing his details yet.

"The matter has now been referred to the coroner's officer."

A witness, who saw the aftermath of the incident, said: "He landed in front of a freight train travelling at only a few miles an hour.

"But that was enough to cause the horrific injuries which killed him."

The dead man has been described as 6ft 1in, of medium build, with blue eyes, short brown hair and long side-burns down to his chin.

He had six large and distinctive tattoos including a bulldog, Union flag, Arsenal badge and the word 'England'.

Police said it was the tattoos which eventually helped his mother identify him.

The spokesman said: "He was seen on CCTV on platform three before the accident, but we can't tell whether he fell into the path of the train or whether he was crossing the track to get to a different platform."

Witnesses are asked to contact British Transport Police on 0800 405040, quoting log 50.