TRAIN drivers have started a ban on overtime which will lead to the cancellation of hundreds of services and further frustration among Southern Rail's 300,000 passengers.

Members of the Aslef union initiated the action, in a long-running dispute about driver-only operated trains.

The introduction of the ban will affect a quarter of Southern's trains today and tomorrow.

Southern, which runs more than 2,200 services a day, aims to increase the number of trains available next week.

The action started ahead of a court bid by the Association of British Commuters (ABC) for a judicial review of the Government's handling of the Southern franchise.

The passengers' group is taking its case to the High Court, arguing that a judicial review should be held, following a year of disruption due to industrial action, staff shortages and various other issues.

There will be no off-peak Gatwick Express services between the airport and Brighton today, while services to other destinations will be reduced or withdrawn.

Southern said services will also be reduced this weekend.

To add to the problems, a major points failure near Littlehampton caused further misery for commuters this morning, leading to increased delays and cancellations.

A spokesman for Network Rail said the issue is now resolved but some trains are still being delayed as the service recovers.

Passenger services director Angie Doll said: "This action is going to be very inconvenient to our passengers and communities, but by putting in this revised timetable we will be able to run a more reliable and consistent service.

"We've been safely running our trains with drivers closing the doors on additional routes since January and have had six months of sustained improvement in service levels and positive passenger feedback.

"We urge Aslef to put an end to their industrial action and allow passengers to get on with their lives."

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said the overtime ban reflected the "total loss of trust and goodwill" between drivers and Southern.

He said: "The shortage of train drivers is wholly down to a lack of recruitment by Southern, who have made no effort to recruit drivers over many years, a point echoed by the Government-commissioned Gibb Report last week.

"In fact, responsibility lies with GTR/Southern's managing director, Charles Horton, who has run the company and its predecessors on the cheap for nearly a decade and has always put the interests of shareholders ahead of those of passengers and taxpayers."

A spokesman for the Association of British Commuters said it had unearthed a report completed for the rail industry two years ago, which advised against driver-only trains running to unstaffed stations because of the impact on disabled and elderly passengers.

Southern passengers will be made to face more rail chaos on Monday July 10 because of a 24-hour strike by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union.