Tyne and Wear Metro services disrupted by damaged cables

Part of the overhead cables have come down between Pelaw and Hebburn

Services on a section of the Tyne and Wear Metro will be disrupted for several days after an overhead line fault.

Trains were suspended between Newcastle and South Tyneside after 800m (2,624ft) of cable came down.

Services remain suspended between Heworth, Brockley Whins and Jarrow in both directions.

Metro operator Nexus said it was sorry for ongoing disruption.

Staff are investigating the fault, which happened on the line between Pelaw and Hebburn on Thursday morning.

'Working flat out'

Metro infrastructure director, Stuart Clarke, said: "The damage is extensive and is over a wide area.

"It will take us a few days to get this fixed. Our engineers are working flat out to get this problem rectified as quickly as they possibly can."

He said repairs had been made "particularly complicated" because the damage was adjacent to Network Rail overhead lines, and Nexus needed safety agreements in place on both sides to proceed.

Mr Clarke urged anyone needing to travel through the affected areas to allow extra time for their journeys and said replacement buses were operating "when available to us".

He said Metro tickets were also being accepted on local bus routes.