A new millennial railcard has sold out despite strong demand crashing the website on the first day of sales.

The railcard for 26 to 30-year-olds cost £30 and offers a third off most fares in England, Wales and Scotland.

Only 10,000 cards were released on Tuesday under a trial, but big demand caused website problems for hours.

A spokeswoman for the Rail Delivery Group, which represents the train companies and Network Rail, said: "This morning, when the 26-30 railcard trial began, the National Railcard website was receiving 12 times the normal number of visitors. We were prepared for demand to be similar to that of previous trial launches.

The limited number of the one-year cards - enough for one in 500 of the eligible population - went on sale on Tuesday following a trial across the Greater Anglia network when another 10,000 railcards were sold.

The card does not cover all travel. The discount for some during the morning commute is limited as a minimum fare of £12 applies to all journeys made before 10am, Monday to Friday.

The Rail Delivery Group said discounts were not given on season tickets, but a weekly or monthly season ticket could still be the cheapest option for those in this age bracket who commuted frequently by train.