Thousands of mourners will miss the Queen’s funeral due to rail disruption.

All lines between Paddington in west London and Reading are blocked because of damage to overhead electric wires, Network Rail said.

Services run by GWR, Heathrow Express and the Elizabeth line are disrupted.

Passengers on a GWR train were told by a member of staff using the public address system: “My sincerest apologies for the delays on such an important day for the country.”

Passengers have been advised that when they get to Reading they should take a South Western Railway service to London Waterloo.

In an update at lunchtime, Network Rail said there was "significant damage to power cables" and it expected disruption to continue for the rest of the day.

Passengers in London were urged to delay journeys home due to fears of overcrowding if too many people try to travel immediately after the funeral procession leaves Westminster.

Mourners travelling to London resorted to watching proceedings on their mobiles.

Many affected passengers planned to be in London for the start of the day’s events but were delayed for several hours.

The sound of the choir at Westminster Abbey echoed through the carriages of delayed trains as mourners watched the service on their smartphones.