Rail passengers in Herefordshire looking to get around the country are to face highly reduced train services this week, ahead of the biggest rail strike in 30 years.

There will be changes or cancellations all week for commuters and travellers on local services including Great Western Railway, Transport for Wales and West Midlands Railway.

Last-minute talks between unions and rail bosses are set to continue today ahead of planned walkouts on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

There will be no Transport for Wales services running through the county on any of the strike days.

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The operator is also expecting travel disruption on the days prior to and following the action, and have issued a statement asking people to only travel by rail if absolutely necessary during the rest of the week.

Great Western Railway will be suspending its service from Hereford to London Paddington via Oxford on the strike days.

A very limited service will run as far as Oxford but passengers are strongly advised not to travel.

It is expecting to run a reduced service after 7am until 6.30pm on non strike days.

There will no trains running on the West Midlands Railway service between Birmingham New Street and Hereford between tomorrow (Tues June 21) and the end of Saturday (June 25).

There will also be a later start on trains from Sunday June 26.

Due to the scale of the industrial action, rail replacement transport services will also be unavailable for the duration of the strike.

While talks are ongoing to try and avert the proposed action, the Rail Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) union has said it will "intensify" its strike campaign if members do not get an agreeable deal.

The union's general secretary, Mick Lynch, said "the union will run this campaign for as long as it takes to get a settlement"

Treasury minister Simon Clarke warned that the industrial action was likely to go ahead despite the planned talks.

Mr Clarke also ruled out the direct involvement of government ministers in the talks and said the railway would have to "financially sustain itself".