TOILETS at Manchester Piccadilly train station will be free to use from next Monday.

Passengers are currently charged 30p to spend a penny at the station.

Network Rail, which owns the station, said the measure will be the first improvement for passengers after a £15 million benefits package was announced last week by Rail Minister Andrew Jones.

Toilet fees are also being scrapped at Leeds and Liverpool Lime Street stations.

Mr Jones said the disruption suffered by passengers in the North has been "unacceptable".

Many Northern and TransPennine Express routes were crippled when new timetables were introduced in May.

Network Rail said in a statement: "We welcome the Rail Minister's funding package for passengers in the North.

"We will respond to this immediately and one of the first changes will be the removal of toilet charges at Manchester Piccadilly, Leeds and Liverpool Lime Street.

READ MORE: Rail passengers braced for another new timetable

"This is a long-overdue Christmas present for train passengers in the North."

The charges will be lifted on Monday, December 17. This had been planned for April 1 2019 but it is being brought forward.

Mr Jones added an industry-wide recovery project for performance for the north of England was now “focused on delivering reliable and punctual services that people can have confidence in."