Engineering is set to cause rail delays across the UK this Christmas season.

Findings from the Telegraph show there will be delays and replacement services on 21 of the country's 26 train operators.

The only companies not affected are Island Line Trains, Grand Central, Merseyrail, c2c and Eurostar, although none of these are running services on December 25th.

Gatwick Express trains run between Victoria Station and the airport and they will be cancelled from Christmas until January 2nd next year, due to work planned at both platforms. Engineering is also planned between Redhill and Purley.

In response to the delays, director general of the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) Michael Roberts said: "Building a better network is something we do every day. But Christmas and other major holidays are when the railway is less busy than on a typical weekday. So we use these periods to carry out particularly important improvements."

RDG argues, despite the work being undertaken, the majority of passengers will not be affected, stating most routes will remain open during this quieter time of year.