Trains delayed as blaze damages line near Peterborough

The fire delayed services on the route between Peterborough and London Kings Cross

A fire on the line between Peterborough and London Kings Cross caused major disruption on rail routes.

Services were already delayed as the knock-on impact of the problems caused by the extreme weather continued.

Thameslink and Great Northern said limited services ran between Bedford and St Pancras on Wednesday.

London North Eastern Railway (LNER) said the fire, south of Peterborough, had caused "significant damage to signalling equipment".

Thameslink and Great Northern have said no services will run north of London until at least midday

Passengers across the East of England were asked to check before they travel, with the situation expected to improve as the day goes on.

Commuters travelling between Milton Keynes and Euston were also disrupted.

Thameslink initially said due to a number of incidents across the Great Northern and Thameslink network disrupted services on Wednesday morning.

Services from London, to and from Bedford, Luton, St Albans, Peterborough, Cambridge, King's Lynn and Ely were affected and there would be no alternative transport running.

Avanti West Coast has advised passengers to expect a disrupted service after it stopped all trains on Tuesday afternoon, because so many incidents had affected its operation.

Greater Anglia said some of its routes needed to be "route proved", which is where rails that have been out of operation are checked to see if services can run at normal speeds.

Some services between Ipswich, Cambridge, Peterborough, Colchester and Norwich were affected.