RAIL operator Northern has removed 22 of its new fleet of trains after a fault was discovered by manufacturer CAF.

The new state-of-the-art trains run on the Lakes line on services between Windermere and Manchester Airport.

Northern has issued a statement after the fault was identified on the new fleet of Class 195 and 331 trains built by CAF.

A spokesman for Northern said: “A fault has been identified on some of the new fleet of trains built by CAF and operated by Northern.

“The fault is affecting the yaw dampers (a system designed to reduce swaying motion in the carriage) and has resulted in 22 trains being removed from service while the issue is investigated.

“Northern is now working closely with CAF to determine the cause of the fault and to fix the issue.

"The remaining 78 trains in Northern’s CAF fleet have been fully checked and are operating as normal. The units still in passenger service will be regularly checked as part of the ongoing engineering process.”

The spokesman said: “At present, the temporary removal of the 22 trains is not causing any impact on Northern’s timetabled services.”