Rail passengers in Cumbria face another day of disruption today as guards again strike over controversial changes.

The RMT rail workers union is locked into a long-running battle with the firm over plans to introduce more driver only trains and to axe guards, whose role they insist is "safety critical".

Union leaders say their numbers are likely to be halved under current plans. They say there has been strong public support for the action they have taken so far.

Train operator Northern, which runs services across Cumbria, has insisted it is willing to continue talking to the union in the hope of resolving the dispute.

On Friday, there was disruption across the county as more than 100 guards and some drivers joined industrial action.

A similar number are expected to take part today.

There was a strike over the issue of driver-only trains in Merseyside yesterday during which the RMT called on the Transport Department to join talks about staffing arrangements on new trains.

The strike hit music fans going to the city's Fusion Festival.

Northern has claimed that the action being taken - coinciding with people returning to school, college and work after the holidays - will damage the region’s economy, significantly disrupt our customers’ lives, and impact local businesses.

The firm says it is prepared to guarantee jobs and current pay for all conductors for the next eight years, until the end of our their franchise in the region, which includes the Cumbrian coastal line, the Carlisle to Newcastle line and Carlisle to Leeds route.