Metro passengers told not to travel amid heatwave disruption

Metro passengers in Tyne and Wear have been advised not to travel on the network on Tuesday amid disruption caused by high temperatures.

Services are suspended between Haymarket and Regent Centre and South Gosforth and Tynemouth after "extreme heat" caused overhead wires to sag.

Operator Nexus warned further lines could close as well as services being cut on other routes.

It advised people to consider other forms of transport.

The UK is set to see its hottest day on record, with temperatures on Tuesday expected to reach up to 42C (107.6F).

Metro operations director, John Alexander, said "unprecedented temperatures" had caused major disruption and led to the "difficult step to issue a do-not travel notice".

He told BBC Radio Newcastle there had been overhead line issues across the network, meaning services were unable to run between Haymarket and the North Tyneside coast.

"We've tried doggedly to keep the network open, but our infrastructure colleagues measure critical temperatures of rails and the physical nature of overhead lines," he said.

"Due to the heat and expansion of the wires, overhead wires were clearly sagging beyond the safe specification."

Although the south of the network serving Sunderland and South Tyneside has so far withstood the high temperatures, Mr Alexander warned it was "very likely" there could be disruption on those lines on Tuesday.

Anyone who does travel on the network has been advised to carry water and keep carriage windows open to allow a flow of air.

It comes amid the two-week closure of the Metro line between St James and Tynemouth for a major programme of modernisation works.

Meanwhile, high temperatures on Monday saw Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service deal with 120 calls in a two-hour spell.

It said that while many incidents involved small fires with low risk to the public, they had been "exacerbated due to the weather".

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