Cable thieves have caused massive disruption to train services in and out of London.
Elizabeth line and Greater Anglia train services have been badly impacted following the theft of signalling cables at Brentwood station, according to National Rail.
Teams from Network Rail and the British Transport Police have been sent to investigate the issue and replace the stolen cables.
The incident was first reported at 5am on Saturday and has disrupted services throughout the morning.
It has prevented trains running between Shenfield, Romford and London.
As of 12.50pm, Elizabeth line trains between Gidea Park and Shenfield were suffering severe delays.
In an update at lunchtime, National Rail said the lines have reopened but trains running between London Liverpool Street and Shenfield may continue to be cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes or revised.
“If you are travelling with Greater Anglia, you are advised to not travel between London Liverpool Street and Shenfield until later today,” it says.
Major disruption is expected to last until 3pm, it added.
