A WOMAN who shouted at and attacked a child onboard a train in a shocking daylight attack was being hunted by police today.

Horrified witnesses raised the alarm after the "large" woman, who was travelling with two children between Reading and Didcot Parkway, became aggressive.

What came next was a shocking incident where the woman began behaving erratically and shouted at the children, believed to have been her own, before hitting one of them.

A spokesman for British Transport Police said: "We appealing for witnesses to an assault on board a train from Reading to Didcot Parkway.

"The incident happened on board the 2.23pm service travelling between Reading and Didcot Parkway station on April 4.

"A passenger on the service reported her concerns for two children who were travelling with a woman. The woman was acting erratically and shouting at the children, at one point she struck the children.

"The woman and the children left the service at Didcot."

The attacker, described as a large lady and approximately 5ft 10ins tall, was believed to have been in her late twenties.

She was wearing a black bomber jacket at the time of the incident.

The spokesman added: "Officers are now looking to speak with anyone who was on board the train and saw what happened. Likewise if you know someone matching this description, please get in touch."