AN OXFORD commuter arrived to an 'unusually empty' Paddington station yesterday after two people fell ill with a 'suspected virus outbreak'.

Passengers getting off the Oxford train who tried to exit the station were stopped and turned around by staff who told them there was a 'suspected virus case' at around 11.30pm last night.

Photos show a woman sat alone with a small suitcase beside her, surrounded by medical professionals and staff members wearing masks.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said two ambulances were sent to the scene and two people were taken to hospital.

Yesterday multiple sources reported that at least two people from Oxfordshire had been tested for coronavirus. 

But South Central Ambulance Service and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said they would neither confirm nor deny reports.

 Mack Grenfell, 24, was travelling home from work and caught his usual train from Oxford to Paddington station when he saw the cordon.

The advertising manager said: "I was walking towards one of the exits and I noticed that Paddington was unusually empty - it's normally quite full of people.

"I was headed toward the west exit to find something to eat and got stopped by a staff member who was blocking that half of the station off from passengers.

"The station staff told me I couldn't go through there because there was a suspected virus outbreak.

"They pointed to the woman who looked to be Asian and was sat on her own with her luggage and there was a big circle of about 15 people around her.

"Four or five of them looked to be medical professionals, the rest were staff, and most of them were keeping about 5 metres distance from her.

"I wasn't allowed any closer but she seemed relatively calm despite the situation.

"I took the photo and then headed to the tube to go home as the way to the underground was still open."

Paddington station is open and trains are believed to be running as normal today.