CrossCountry has cancelled almost all of its train services today (Sunday, August 23) after a power cut affected the company's control centre in Birmingham.

The power failure began on Saturday and has knocked out a number of systems used by CrossCountry staff to manage and operate services across the network. As a result, passengers across the UK are facing widespread cancellations and disruption.

The disruption affects CrossCountry routes across England, Scotland and Wales, including services serving major towns and cities such as Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, Cardiff and Newcastle.

For passengers travelling from Staffordshire, the disruption could affect CrossCountry journeys through Stoke-on-Trent, with customers advised to check their journey before setting off.

CrossCountry says it is working to operate as many trains as possible using alternative procedures, but passengers should expect significant reductions and cancellations throughout the day.

A near-normal service is expected only on the route between Peterborough, Cambridge and Stansted Airport.

Passengers who have bought CrossCountry tickets for today can use them on other train operators where ticket acceptance is in place. Customers who decide not to travel can also request a refund, while those affected by delays may be entitled to compensation.

CrossCountry has apologised to passengers for the disruption and says further updates will be provided as efforts continue to restore its systems.