RAIL operator Northern – which runs services on the Airedale line – is warning passengers of further disruption due to strike action by the RMT.

The union is staging a walkout next Tuesday and Wednesday (December 13-14) and is holding another 48-hour strike on December 16 and 17.

Northern says that during this period, "all but a handful" of services will be cancelled and many stations on the network shut.

Routes that will have services running – hourly between 7.30am and 6.30pm – include Leeds to Skipton.

Tricia Williams, for Northern, says: "This is the last thing we want to do in the run-up to Christmas, but with the RMT pressing ahead with these 48-hour strikes we have no option but to advise customers not to travel. We can only apologise once again for the disruption this strike action is causing."

Anyone planning to use one of the skeleton services is advised to check first before they travel, at northernrailway.co.uk.

The website also includes details of Northern's new timetable, which comes into operation on Sunday, and passengers – particularly those who make frequent journeys on the same services – are encouraged to check for any alterations to times or stations.