RAIL passengers in Northwich and Knutsford are facing disruption this evening due to Storm Christoph.

A major incident has been declared in Cheshire following heavy downpours and flooding across the county, particularly in Northwich.

Northern has confirmed that services on the Mid Cheshire Line, between Altrincham and Chester, have been suspended.

A Northern spokesman said: “The adverse weather is having a significant impact on our ability to operate services across many parts of the north west.

“We are working closely with colleagues at Network Rail to get our services up and running as soon as possible.

"In the meantime, we’re asking customers who need to make essential journeys to check carefully before travelling.

“The difficult conditions are being experienced across a large part of our network and customers planning to travel today should be aware that any journeys could be affected and they should allow extra time for travel.”

Rail replacement services are being arranged for some of Northern's affected routes where possible.

For the latest live updates see nationalrail.co.uk