Long delays for rail travellers

Delays of more than two hours have hit some services

Thousands of train passengers have been hit by delays or cancellations on Monday morning after a series of problems across the south of England.

A fault with signals at Surbiton in Surrey led to severe delays on trains in and out of London Waterloo.

Rail company South West Trains' website warned cancellations and delays of up to 145 minutes could be expected.

It said passengers are strongly advised not to travel unless absolutely necessary.

A points problem at Waterloo and a broken down train at Woking in Surrey added to the disruption for commuters.

Trains from Waterloo to various destinations on the south coast, including Brighton, Weymouth and Poole were cancelled or delayed by times ranging from half an hour to more than two hours.

Delays of up to 40 minutes were also reported on trains to and from London's Fenchurch Street station because of problems with power supply.

Power supply problems also affected services in the Salisbury area and between Stratford and North Woolwich in London, while lines between Exeter and Barnstaple were closed due to an inspection of power lines.