Tyne and Wear Metro passengers complain carriages are too hot

A total of 15 carriages have been overheating

Metro passengers have been forced to travel in uncomfortable temperatures after heating problems in the trains.

Operator Nexus has confirmed that 15 of its carriages have been identified as overheating.

Customers have complained online that fellow passengers were beginning to feel unwell in the heat.

Train manufacturer Stadler apologised for the discomfort caused to customers and said it is working to resolve the problem.

The current fleet of Tyne and Wear Metro trains is 43 years old and is due to be replaced.

Its outdated technology means that drivers are unable to turn the heating system off from their cabins, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Stadler said: "Because the existing fleet is old and parts cannot always be easily replaced, the heating system sometimes does not adjust automatically and needs to be altered manually.

"This is done by engineers in inspection pits at our Gosforth depot."

Six trains fixed

Six of the 15 trains have been fixed and Stadler is expected to complete the rest over the next 10 days.

A similar situation was reported in May, when only half of the Metro fleet was switched to the summer heating settings.

Stadler said that the trains are checked "one-by-one" in the autumn and the heating system is adjusted ahead of the winter months.

The company is building 46 Metro trains for Nexus, which will have an "advanced climate control system".