Commuters across the country are facing major disruption after a fire closed one of London's busiest transport terminals.

Trains were cancelled going in and out of Euston station from Wednesday afternoon after a blaze next to the track near South Hampstead triggered a power cut.

The blaze affected customers on services including Midland, Virgin and Southern, connecting the hub with large areas of the country.

In a statement, Network Rail said it was hoping to get services back to normal by Thursday morning.

It added: "An electrical fire at South Hampstead has stopped trains running in or out of London Euston this evening.

"Train customers are impacted in London and the length of the West Coast Main Line, including Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool.

"Network Rail engineers are trying to get some trains moving this evening on the West Coast Main Line by using emergency generators to restore temporary power to signals.

"Engineers are preparing to work through the night to install 100 metres of 11,000-volt power cables with the aim of getting services back to normal tomorrow morning."

The fire also took out a stretch of the London Overground line between Euston and Harrow & Wealdstone.

Network Rail said the disruption was also affecting nearby terminals, such as Clapham Junction to the south west, and Milton Keynes Central in the north west.

Customers on Virgin trains were advised not to travel south of Birmingham.

According to the Office of Rail and Road, the independent regulator, Euston is the fifth busiest station in Britain with 41.7 million entries and exits in 2015/16.

A Virgin Trains spokesman said: "Tickets will be accepted for travel tomorrow or a full refund offered. Alternative routes are available but customers are urged to check their journey before travelling."