A man who forcibly evicted a fare dodger on board a train in Scotland is being hailed as a hero, with footage of the incident becoming an internet hit.

The footage shows the fare dodger arguing with the conductor and refusing get off the train despite not having a ticket.

A passenger then steps in to help and muscles the young man off the train, earning a round of applause from fellow passengers.

Sky News said the clip was filmed on the ScotRail Edinburgh to Perth service on December 9.

It starts with the conductor asking the youth to leave, telling him: "I can sit here all night, I'm getting paid for this, but these folk will start moaning. Not at me, at you. Why should they pay and you no?"

The young man swears and says he has paid but is told he only has a single ticket for the other direction.

A burly passenger then steps in and asks the conductor: "Do you want me to get him off for you?"

He is seen grabbing the young man by the shoulders and propelling him to the door and down on to the platform.

The youth apparently tries to get back on but the man bars the way. Fellow passengers applaud as he returns to his seat.

A ScotRail spokeswoman told Sky News: "While we welcome the public's support of our zero-tolerance stance on anti-social behaviour, our staff are trained in conflict management and we do not expect members of the public to take matters into their own hands.

"We are investigating the incident, which appears to show a person travelling without a valid ticket, refusing to pay for the journey, and swearing at a staff member in full view of customers."