Rail passengers have faced chaos on Christmas Eve due to the Northern’s cancellations and delays, which the franchise blamed on “unprecedented” sickness levels and drivers on leave.

The affected services include Lancashire, Liverpool and Manchester, with passengers advised to check online before travelling.

A spokesperson for Northern said: “Alongside the annual leave entitlements at this time of the year, we currently have unprecedented levels of sickness. That means we have some pre-planned cancellations on certain lines.

“We are sorry for any disruption customers may face. Please check our website before you travel.”

The franchise said customers will have a range of alternative options available to them including other Northern services.

There are replacement buses operating between Liverpool Lime Street and Wigan North West, a reduced service from Manchester Piccadilly and Hadfield, and a combination of both between Lancaster and Morecambe.

Earlier this month, passengers protested against Northern, calling for it to be stripped of its franchise. Figures from the Office of Rail and Road show that only 56% of Northern services were on time in the last quarter.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We are developing contingency plans for the replacement of the current franchise with either a new short-term management contract with Northern or the operator of last resort.”

Elsewhere in England, London Paddington station is closed from Tuesday until Saturday as Network Rail carries out track and overhead wiring improvements at Southall, as well as Crossrail upgrades. A total of 386 engineering projects are being carried out across Britain’s rail network over the festive period.

London King’s Cross, London Liverpool Street and Ashford International services will be among those suffering the worst disruption.

Motorists are also being warned about “treacherous” driving conditions due to last week’s heavy rainfall, as millions of people embark on a Christmas getaway.

A recent AA poll suggested 74% of motorists would risk driving through flood water despite the risk of being swept away. As of 11am on Tuesday, 44 flood warnings were in place for England, alongside 117 flood alerts, which warn flooding is possible.

An RAC survey indicated that 3.1 million drivers will make a leisure trip by car on Tuesday, as many people clock up the miles to be with family and friends in time for Christmas Day. The busiest period is expected to be between 2pm and 6pm.

Meanwhile, London Southend Airport has confirmed no flights were cancelled on Christmas Eve despite calls for strike action by the GMB union.

In the new year, passengers in Tyne and Wear will be affected by a two-day strike owing to a dispute over pay and working conditions

Nexus, which runs the train service, said members of the RMT union had agreed to strike on 6 and 7 January, coinciding with the return to school and work after the Christmas break. It follows a two-day shutdown of the Metro on Friday and Saturday last week, which affected Christmas shoppers and football fans attending Newcastle United’s home game against Crystal Palace.

Drivers have turned down a 15% pay increase in return for changing practices when a new fleet of trains comes in.