Northern has warned that the 'thousands of tonnes' of leaves that fall onto the railway lines every Autumn are to continue altering train timings.

Northern said that fallen leaves stick to damp rails, thus reducing a train's grip and meaning a driving has to accelerate slower and brake earlier.

The rail service also put out a red risk warning this morning, to alert commuters to the danger of delays and cancellations.

The service currently runs a seasonal track treatment operation to clear the tracks, with teams working through the night to keep them safe.

A statement said: "Millions of trees grow along the railway, dropping thousands of tonnes of leaves onto the tracks throughout the season.

"The debris can cause significant disruption to the network. Leaves stick to damp rails and passing trains compress them into a smooth, slippery layer, reducing trains’ grip."