Engineers at Northern have completed their battle prep to tackle autumn leaf-fall disruption three months early.

They have installed various innovative technologies to combat the annual problem, confident they will outfox this old adversary as they did in previous years.

These installations include Water-Trak technology, Wheel Slide Prevention, and Double Variable Rate Sanders, fitted to the different classes of Northern's fleet.

Rob Cummings, seasonal performance improvement manager, said: "Whilst it feels like summer has only just arrived this week - our engineers have had their eyes firmly fixed on autumn for some time.

"Fallen leaves used to cause significant disruption across the network – but having tried a number of methods in recent years and by fine-tuning our approach – we have been able to cut that right down.

"To be 'battle ready' three months ahead of schedule is a real testament to the team that has worked so hard to ensure our fleet is ready for whatever nature throws at it."

In 2018, Northern had to repair 306 trains caused by wheel-slide, but after measures were taken, last year's number was down to 14.

This has allowed Northern to offer repair services to other operators, creating a new income source.