THE former employer of a man who died last Wednesday on the railway line near Newnham has paid tribute to him.

Thomas Albanese, aged 32, from Parkend was described as a ‘decent, private chap’ by Simon La Porta of Blueboy Carpets

Mr La Porta said: “Thomas worked for me for about a year and left in 2013, I believe, to work with his stepfather.

“I didn’t know him very well; he was a private person and a very lovely, decent chap. He lived on his own with his dog and didn’t give too much away about his personal life.”

The line between Gloucester and Newport faced severe delays after emergency services attended the scene at a tunnel around 7.25am where the man, named as Mr Albanese by the Gloucestershire coroner’s office, was pronounced dead.

The British Transport Police said it was not treating his death as suspicious.

A coroner’s inquest into the man’s death is expected to be heard on March 2, 2017.