TRAINS were having to be cancelled for just over three hours after a bomb was found near the railway.

Services between Guiseley and Ilkley Railway Stations were being disrupted after the discovery of a mortar shell, at 9.56am this morning.

The item had been described on National Rail's website as a "wartime bomb".

British Transport Police (BTP) officers were called to the line next to Sun Lane, in Ilkley.

A cordon was put in place and specialist officers removed the mortar at around 1pm.

Rail replacement buses were running between Guiseley and Ilkley in both directions, while the disruption was ongoing.

These were every half hour and journey times were extended by up to 20 minutes.

People at Leeds were advised to travel on alternative services to Shipley and change there for rail connections to Guiseley. 

A spokesperson for BTP said:" Officers were called to the line close to Sun Lane, Ilkley at 9.56am this morning following reports of a mortar shell having been discovered.

"A cordon was put in place as a precaution and specialist officers have now removed the mortar."