Signalling problems near Didcot Parkway caused chaos for commuters travelling to London and other destinations this morning.

Trains between Didcot and London Paddington were cancelled and services from Oxford to London Paddington, Worcester and the North were also hit.

From Oxford, the 7.57am to Worcester Foregate Street and the 8.06am to Birmingham New Street were cancelled.

First Great Western advised passengers not travel from Oxford or Didcot unless absolutely necessary until normal services resumed.

The rail company tried to find buses for rail replacement services but many were being used for school runs.

At Didcot Parkway, hundreds of passengers gathered as all train services were affected, and some commuters got back in their cars to travel to Reading to catch a train to London.

The 7.48am, 8am and 8.30am from Didcot to London Paddington were cancelled.

Scott Johnson, 27, from the Ladygrove estate in Didcot, who works as a civil servant in central London, was caught up in the chaos.

He said: "I arrived at 6.20am to find that there were no trains anywhere - to London, Wales, Bristol or Oxford.

"I've got a meeting at 1pm today and I needed to get into the office early to prepare for it.

"This is an absolute piece of nonsense - maybe it is Network Rail's fault but First Great Western should have better back-up plans and I think they have been given enough chances.

"I suppose I could drive to Banbury and try to catch a train into Marylebone but my wife needs the car for her work.

"The communication from First Great Western at the station was totally inadequate and for a long time people were not being given the information they needed."

So far, there is no time estimate for when normal services will be resumed.