RAIL passengers faced disruption this morning due to a staff shortage.

Train services running between Bournemouth and Weymouth were cancelled or revised for most of the morning because of the train crew shortage.

South Western Railway told passengers just after 5am on Twitter that disruption would be expected until 10.30am.

At around 10.15am, National Rail said services were running normally.

The disruption came ahead of a five-day rail strike which starts tomorrow.

The strike, which runs until Saturday, is part of a long-running dispute over guards on trains.

During the strike, a reduced service will run between Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier. Two trains an hour will run between 8am and 7pm with no services between 1pm and 2pm.

A reduced service will run between Weymouth and London Waterloo. South Western Railway said hourly fast trains will run between Waterloo and Bournemouth with an hourly shuttle between Bournemouth and Weymouth. Trains will not run between Bournemouth and Poole. Holton Heath station will also not be served.