Cows on the line cause major delays to trains

Rail passengers faced disruption for much of Tuesday after a herd of cows wandered on to one of the country's busiest railway lines.

The West Coast Main Line was blocked in Staffordshire between Lichfield Trent Valley and Rugeley Trent Valley from just before 09:00 BST, according to National Rail Enquiries.

The issue has caused delays and cancellations for Avanti West Coast and Lumo services between London Euston and Scotland, as well as London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway services.

The lines have since reopened but passengers were warned to expect disruption until 20:00.

Tickets were being accepted on some alternative routes and road transport was also being provided, officials said.

The line is one of the busiest in the country, as it heads from London, through the West Midlands and Manchester and then on to Scotland.

"At around 9:00 this morning we received a report of cows on the line near Armitage, between Lichfield and Rugeley," a Network Rail spokesperson said.

"This resulted in some train services through the area being delayed and disrupted.

"Our teams attended the scene and, with assistance from farmers, were able to resolve the situation around 13:00.

"Normal working will now resume. We are sorry to those affected by this disruption."

There were difficulties contacting the farmer responsible for the animals, according to the Press Association.

Many affected passengers expressed their frustration on social media, with one posting to Avanti West Coast to say they had been stuck on a train that had "not moved for three hours", while another complained they were only offered one 330ml bottle of water, adding: "I'm sure your shop is doing great business."

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