Rail passengers from Huntingdon and St Neots are facing cuts in Great Northern services to London because of rising staff sickness levels caused by the Covid pandemic.

They have been warned to check which trains are running before they travel.

The cuts, which also affect Southern and Thameslink trains, come into effect on January 4 and will continue until further notice.

Operator Govia Thameslink Railway said the changes were being made in response to the impact of Covid-19, which has led to significantly increased staff sickness across the rail industry and that a reduced timetable would help ensure a more reliable service and lead to fewer last-minute cancellations.

Angie Doll, GTR interim chief operating officer, said: "Due to the significant challenges we face with Covid now affecting many of our colleagues, we have taken the decision to operate a reduced timetable from January. We're really sorry if this does affect your journey.

"While many more people are now working from home again, we're fully focused on providing a service that passengers can rely on if they need to travel."

She added: "We'd strongly urge people to check before they travel for the latest information and to leave extra time."

The timetable from 4 January was available in online journey planners, such as www.nationalrail.co.uk , from December 31 and timetables from Monday 10 January should be available shortly.