British rail union starts strike

Union members on one of Britain's busiest railway networks walked out on Monday, on the first day of a planned 27-day strike that could affect hundreds of thousands of commuters.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) stopped work on lines run by South Western Railway, which operates lines in and around London, and to towns and cities in southwest England.

Passengers have been warned to face disruption in the run-up to Christmas, as only half of services will run, including to and from Britain's busiest railway station Waterloo.