Security staff were so terrified by the unfolding events, they ran into their office and locked the door while watching Robert Clancy's rampage on CCTV.

His wrecking spree caused £5,500 in damage to the concourse.

The booking office remained closed for a day, and parts of the station are still not fully functional, causing disruption to commuters.

Clancy (46) was jailed for 20 weeks after admitting criminal damage, and told to pay compensation of £5,000 by city magistrates.

He has lodged an appeal against the sentence.

After knocking back the equivalent of 17 pints of cider during the previous 24 hours, Clancy, from Bromley, in Kent, boarded a train from King's Cross in London to Peterborough at just after midnight, on Friday, March 27.

When he got to the city's station, he was intending to catch another train back to London again.

But when he was told by platform staff that he had missed the last train, it sparked a shocking chain of events.

At about 2.20am he ran outside and picked up a breeze block before rushing inside the concourse, intending to "smash everything up", he told British Transport Police (BTP) officers in his interview.

Security staff watched in horror as he hurled the block at the glass doors, causing it to shatter.

He was eventually arrested and taken into custody.

He was sentenced at Peterborough Magistrates' Court on Monday.

The BTP officer in charge of the case said it was the worst vandalism incident at the station he had seen.

Pc Sean White said: "The security staff who saw him feared for their safety so much that they locked the door of their office and viewed it all on CCTV.

"On the CCTV, he is seen lifting the block above his head and throwing it. His plan was to get out to platform 2 and turn back to London. But when he was told there were no trains, he got upset.

He went outside to get a breeze block and returned to the concourse."

The officer added: "We won't tolerate this level of violence, and people who do this will be prosecuted."

A National Express East Coast spokesman said: "We support the British Transport Police in their work to apprehend those involved in such irresponsible actions, which place themselves and railway passengers and staff at risk."