New Year's Eve trains disrupted by cable theft near Doncaster

Rail passengers have been warned of delays and cancellations until the end of New Year's Eve after signalling cables were stolen in South Yorkshire.

National Rail said several routes had been affected following the theft between Doncaster and Sheffield, which it first reported shortly before 05:30 GMT on Wednesday.

After initially saying the disruption was expected to last until mid-morning, National Rail later said passengers were likely to face problems all day.

Services run by Northern, including local services in South Yorkshire and trains running from Doncaster to Hull and Scarborough, are among those affected.

CrossCountry services between Edinburgh and Birmingham New Street, which call at Sheffield, Wakefield, Leeds and York, have also been affected.

TransPennine Express services running between Liverpool Lime Street and Cleethorpes, which call at Doncaster, have been hit as well.

A spokesperson for Northern said services were able to run between Doncaster and Swinton again from about 09:30 GMT onwards, although they warned that "fewer trains will be able to operate along this route while this issue continues". They also said that trains between Sheffield and Doncaster/Adwick "may be delayed or revised".

"Northern train ticket restrictions have been lifted in the affected areas, including advance and peak restrictions, during this disruption," they added.

A National Rail spokesperson said: "Theft of signalling cables between Doncaster and Sheffield means trains must run at a reduced speed on all lines. As a result, services operating between Doncaster and Sheffield may be cancelled, delayed by up to 25 minutes, revised or diverted. Disruption is expected until the end of the day."