Train services will be disrupted in France on one of the busiest travel weekends of the year - the 'holiday crossover' weekend - after rail staff called a last-minute strike.
Rail staff in Normandy have called a "last minute social movement" over the weekend, which will cause severe disruption to local services and trains between Paris and Caen, Rouen, Le Have and Deauville.
This weekend is the chassé croissé, the 'crossover weekend', one of the busiest of the year as July holidaymakers return and August holidaymakers set out - there are multiple road warnings for heavy traffic.
SNCF says that almost all trains are fully booked and therefore it will struggle to accommodate passengers whose train has been cancelled due to the strike action. Passengers are advised to postpone their trip if possible.
The strike lasts from Friday, July 31st to Sunday, August 2nd.
The exact details of cancellations will be posted on the SNCF website at 5pm each day, but the lines affected include; Le Havre - Rouen - Paris; Cherbourg-Caen-Lisieux-Paris; Trouville-Deauville-Paris; Rouen-Vernon-Paris and Caen-Bernay-Evreux-Paris.
Separately, SNCF has announced that trains running south of Bordeaux on the south-west France axis will not restart until at least Sunday - trains have been halted all week due to the severe wildfires in the area.
Normally, workers in vital industries like transport are required to file a formal strike notice in advance and give 48 hours' notice of their intention to strike. However, unions can call a grève inopinée - a last-minute or surprise strike - if they are striking over a safety-related matter.
