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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Liam Buckler

Britain so hot even the train tracks are now bursting into flames in 33C heatwave

The UK heatwave sweeping across Britain is so hot even the train tracks are now bursting into flames.

Train services had to be suspended this morning after a fire on a bridge in Battersea, South London, between Victoria and Brixton.

The fire has since been put out and in an announcement at the time, Southeastern Railways said all lines to and from the station had been blocked but have since reopened.

Commuters were also suggested to use their tickets on London Buses, with the service provider announcing alternative bus routes for stations on the Bromley South line.

Shortly after 6am, the fire was extinguished and train lines reopened after the scene was cleared.

The blaze on a bridge in Battersea, South London, saw services between Victoria and Brixton suspended this morning (Network Rail)

Southeastern Railways said: "The fire brigade have finished putting out the fire and are currently clearing the line.

"Once they are clear we expect some of the lines into #LondonVictoria to reopen.

"At the moment all lines are blocked and trains are being diverted to Cannon Street & Charing Cross."

However, with possible delays expected, train bosses have issued a warning for commuters as Network Rail informed passengers trains may have to run slower due to the UK heatwave causing the temperature on the tracks to rise.

There are already train services impacted by the UK heatwave as West Midlands Trains routes between Stratford-upon-Avon, Leamington Spa and Kidderminster have seen speeds reduced to 20mph - down from the usual 60mph.

This will lead to slower services and the disruption is set to remain in place until 8pm tonight with Network Rail closely following multiple locations which could see speed restrictions introduced due to the sizzling heat.

The train services were also advising commuters to use alternative services at no extra cost.

At 8.23am, National Rail said in an update that train routes had returned to normal.

Network Rail earlier warned that the hot weather could cause lines to "expand and sometimes buckle", causing disruptions to train routes.

A spokesperson for Network Rail said: "With extremely hot temperatures expected this week, our specialist weather teams will be monitoring key hotspot locations to make sure we can keep services running safely and reliably for passengers."

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