Paddington chaos as London station brought to halt by Notting Hill Carnival streamer

National Rail has issued an update on the cause of major train delays, which it says are expected to continue for the rest of the day.

A spokesperson for Network Rail said: "We apologise to passengers caught up in the disruption affecting services to and from London Paddington station this evening.

"We had a series of incidents around the Ladbroke Grove area, including a reported trespasser and objects thrown onto the overhead lines in multiple locations, which meant that passenger services could not safely be run on all lines.

"Passenger services were therefore restricted whilst the objects, which turned out to be plastic streamers that had become entangled in the overhead wires, were safely removed.

"All obstructions have now been cleared and services are able to run as normal, though disruption is expected to continue until the end of the day.

"We're incredibly sorry to any passengers disrupted and thank them for their ongoing patience and understanding during this time," they added.

A disgruntled passenger took to X to blast his "abysmal" journey into London after multiple services were delayed.

In a post shortly after 6.30pm, the passenger shared a picture of a packed carriage, writing: "People have been standing on this delayed train stuck outside Reading heading to London Paddington for over 1 hour.

"The train crew from @GWRHelp only decided to tell everybody there was plenty of space in other carriages over an hour in," he claimed, adding: "Abysmal".

A spokesperson for Great Western Rail (GWR) said: “We are really sorry to customers whose journeys were disrupted this evening and thank them for their patience and understanding while the issues with the overhead wires were resolved.

"Anyone delayed by 15 minutes or more is entitled to claim a refund via our Delay Repay compensation scheme.”

In a statement, National Rail later announced the trespass issue was over, but that travel disruption would continue due to damaged equipment.

"Damage to the overhead line equipment between London Paddington and Reading, means all lines are blocked, the statement read.

"As a result, trains running between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport / Reading may be cancelled or severely delayed by up to 60 minutes.

"Major disruption is expected until 20:45. London Paddington station is currently exit only.

"An earlier trespass incident near London Paddington was further disrupting services but this has now been resolved."

It's not yet clear whether the trespass incident and the damage to the equipment are related.

Services were cancelled from Paddington Station in West London on Sunday after a "trespass incident".

It comes as the Notting Hill Carnival, which attracts hundreds of thousands of revellers to West London, kicks off today.

Here's what we know so far:

- A "trespass incident" was reported by National Rail and Transport for London (TfL) but no further details have been released yet and it's not yet clear what caused it.

- Services between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport may be delayed by up to 30 minutes or scrapped altogether.

- It was initially announced that disruption was expected to last until 7.30, but it's since been extended to 8.45pm.

- Photos posted by irate passengers on social media showed huge crowds at Paddington and people stuck on delayed trains.

- Meanwhile, Great Western Railway said services are running at a "reduced speed" due to damage to overhead electric wires between Reading and Paddington.

- Travellers have also reported severe delays on the Elizabeth Line. There is said to be no service between Bond Street and Reading or Heathrow Airport because of an obstruction in the overhead power lines.

- In a statement, National Rail later announced the trespass issue was over, but that issues were continuing: "Damage to the overhead line equipment between London Paddington and Reading, means all lines are blocked, the statement read.

"As a result, trains running between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport / Reading may be cancelled or severely delayed by up to 60 minutes.

"Major disruption is expected until 20:45. London Paddington station is currently exit only.

"An earlier trespass incident near London Paddington was further disrupting services but this has now been resolved."

National Rail said in an update that passengers cannot enter the station at the moment

The entrances to the major transport hub are being blocked while the staff address the cause of the delays.

Passengers face "significant disruption" this evening to and from Paddington Station in West London.

National Rail says most services have been cancelled, and others have been delayed by as much as an hour.

@janelmcgrath said: "@GWRHelp are any trains going to run out of Paddington tonight? Everything says delayed and there are no announcements being made. How is this such a shambles?"

@obbsie said: "

Well, it makes a change from fighting fires up north. @BTPOSU deployed to the Paddington chaos. Trespasser on the lines apparently is buggering all trains & some underground lines"

National Rail has confirmed both Underground and railway services are being delayed and cancelled due to tresspassers at Paddington Station.