The duck was nesting under a live Tube rail

London Underground (LU) employees discovered the duck and eight eggs under a live rail of a siding at Neasden railway depot.

Traffic across the rail was immediately stopped but it would have been illegal to remove the eggs.

So the siding was closed to allow them to hatch.

LU said the depot staff were acting under the supervision of the RSPCA.

A spokeswoman for LU said: "The depot employees will catch them and take them away to a more appropriate location."

The duck is thought to have bedded down on a soft rag about three weeks ago.