Double dose of disruption on the trains as Storm Ciara gets ready to batter Northamptonshire

Train passengers in Northamptonshire face a double dose of disruption on Sunday as Storm Ciara batters the county.

Northamptonshire looks set to escape the worst of the weekend weather with the strongest winds expected to hit the south east.

But a Met Office yellow alert for high winds remains in force throughout the day with gusts of nearly 60mph and torrential rain predicted for the county along with fears of potential injuries from flying debris.

Motoring organisations have issued pleas for drivers to be careful and East Midlands Railway, which runs services through Northamptonshire to London, Nottingham and Derby, is preparing an emergency timetable.

EMR passengers from Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough were already braced to use replacement buses as electrification work on the Midland Mainline continues.

But the train operator now says times of connecting services at Bedford and Market Harborough will be switched timetable as their trains will be unable to run at full speed on the route into and out of London.

Network Rail fear danger from flying debris on the tracks and damage to overhead lines and plan to impose speed limits on lines throughout the UK in response to conditions.

An EMR spokesman said: "We know our trains will be required to run at reduced speed throughout Sunday February 9 as the strength of the wind increases. This will extend all journey times and we are now planning to run an amended timetable on our Intercity routes.

"We will provide further details of how this will directly impact your journey once we receive confirmation from Network Rail. Our team are currently working on creating timetables for all affected routes; these will be uploaded as soon as they have been complete.

"You should continue to travel as originally planned. However, we recommend you check your journey in advance and allow plenty of time to complete your journey.

But, if you are unable or do not wish to complete your journey, you can claim a refund on your ticket via our website."

EMR have confirmed passengers holding tickets for Sunday can travel at any time on Saturday or Monday instead.