Onboard driver CCTV has caught the moment a man narrowly missed being hit by a train on the West Coast main line.

Network Rail and Avanti West Coast released video of the near miss at a footpath level crossing near Runcorn as a safety warning to others.

The entrance to the footpath crossing displays a red warning light when it is unsafe to cross, which the man ignored.

The alarming footage shows the pedestrian coming within feet of a high-speed train before the London Euston to Glasgow service was forced to come to an emergency stop.

The maximum speed for trains on this section of line is 125mph.

The incident, at 10:43am on 18 January, has been described by senior railway staff as one of the closest near misses they’ve seen.