ES News email The latest headlines in your inbox twice a day Monday - Friday plus breaking news updates Enter your email address Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account. Please log in Register with your social account or click here to log in I would like to receive lunchtime headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts, by email Update newsletter preferences

London Underground passengers are facing rush hour chaos as two lines come to a grinding halt during a 24-hour strike.

Staff on the Central and Waterloo & City Line are staging a walkout which got underway at midnight and will not finish until Thursday morning.

Major stations across the city are affected by the disruption including Stratford, Liverpool Street, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Circus, King's Cross St Pancras and Bank.

Union bosses said the strike was going ahead following a "complete breakdown of industrial relations", while attempts to resolve the issue with last-ditch talks failed.

It comes after a separate planned walkout on the Piccadilly Line from 1.30pm was called off, the RMT union confirmed yesterday.

But RMT blasted Underground bosses over "a comprehensive breakdown in industrial relations, a failure to employ enough drivers, a wholesale abuse of agreed procedures and the victimisation of a trade union member".

London Underground said both the RMT and Aslef unions were demanding that two drivers were reinstated on the Central line - one who deliberately opened the doors of a train in a tunnel and one who failed a drugs test.

Union leaders said to be furious that an appeal to reinstate the driver who had opened the train doors at a station while two carriages were still in the tunnel was rejected by Tube chiefs.

Finn Brennan, Aslef’s organiser on the Underground, said it was “simply wrong that a driver with 25 years of excellent service should be summarily dismissed for one error of judgment”.

Tube Strike October 2018 - In pictures 13 show all Tube Strike October 2018 - In pictures 1/13 Commuters battle their way to work at Liverpool street station during today's Tube strike Alex Lentati 2/13 A huge crowd waits to board the Tube Alex Lentati 3/13 The Central Line is down all day today Alex Lentati 4/13 A queue of commuters wait to board trains at Liverpool st rugmarbles/Twitter 5/13 Commuters wait on the platform at Canning Town charliebach/twitter 6/13 The Waterloo and City line has also been affected by the strike charliebach/twitter 7/13 A commuter said she had to wait over an hour to get into Ilford station farhanafaiie/Twitter 8/13 Passengers are warned of the strike at Liverpool Street Alex Lentati 9/13 Underground staff were forced to close the tube entrance due to overcrowding Alex Lentati 10/13 Central Line commuters accused the Mayor of being at fault for today's strike bastonks/Twitter 11/13 A crowd this morning at Liverpool street Alex Lentati 12/13 Thousands of commuters were caught up in the strike action Alex Lentati 13/13 Commuters told of their frustration after getting caught in the delays Alex Lentati 1/13 Commuters battle their way to work at Liverpool street station during today's Tube strike Alex Lentati 2/13 A huge crowd waits to board the Tube Alex Lentati 3/13 The Central Line is down all day today Alex Lentati 4/13 A queue of commuters wait to board trains at Liverpool st rugmarbles/Twitter 5/13 Commuters wait on the platform at Canning Town charliebach/twitter 6/13 The Waterloo and City line has also been affected by the strike charliebach/twitter 7/13 A commuter said she had to wait over an hour to get into Ilford station farhanafaiie/Twitter 8/13 Passengers are warned of the strike at Liverpool Street Alex Lentati 9/13 Underground staff were forced to close the tube entrance due to overcrowding Alex Lentati 10/13 Central Line commuters accused the Mayor of being at fault for today's strike bastonks/Twitter 11/13 A crowd this morning at Liverpool street Alex Lentati 12/13 Thousands of commuters were caught up in the strike action Alex Lentati 13/13 Commuters told of their frustration after getting caught in the delays Alex Lentati

According to TfL, Aslef refused an invitation to meet for talks in the dispute with the team of Central line drivers.

Nigel Holness, managing director of London Underground, said the strikes were "unnecessary" and "totally unjustifiable"

He said: "Both are demanding the reinstatement of drivers sacked over serious safety breaches - one who deliberately opened the doors of a train in a tunnel, and one who failed a drugs test."

TfL said both the Central and Waterloo & City lines will have very limited or no service throughout Wednesday.