Northumberland line: Delay to expected 2024 opening

Wansbeck Labour MP Ian Lavery said the news of potential delays was "the latest kick in the teeth for passengers who have been waiting far too long to see services reintroduced".

Labour Sleekburn councillor Alex Wallace said it was a "disaster" for people living in Bedlington.

“Once again people in Bedlington are made to feel like second class citizens with the station they have been promised designated as not as important as those elsewhere,” he said.

Blyth is due to have two stations on the line - one in the south of the town at Newsham and one in the north at Bebside.

However, Labour councillor Anna Watson, who represents Blyth's Isabella ward, said failing to open Bebside would "lead to more people using rat routes across the town".