COMMUTERS suffered a bank holiday hangover in north Essex this morning with road and rail delays.

Over-running engineering work at Ipswich caused severe disruption between Norwich and Colchester.

Several trains were cancelled along the route with the line through Ipswich, between Stowmarket, Ipswich and Manningtree, expected to re-open at 10.30am.

Customers have been advised to delay any journeys after work on the lines ran over time again.

Derek Monnery, chairman of the Essex Rail Users Federation, said: "Yet again the travelling public are being subjected to a non-existent rail service to London because Network Rail has failed to complete engineering work in the Ipswich area leaving the lines blocked and trains unable to run.

"Every time this happens, key staff are unable to reach their offices in London, and the economy of the whole country suffers.

"As I write this, my local station Manningtree should have had five trains to London, but not one has arrived.

"How can the rail operator in all seriousness ask for a rail fare increase when it is obvious that the infrastructure provider, Network Rail, is providing such a manifestly awful service?"

Motorists also faced long delays with slow moving queues from Ardleigh to Witham on the A12 after two vehicles broke down and a lorry and a car collided at different points along the route.

More to follow.