Railtrack's replacement company Network Rail (NR) has accelerated its plan to take back control of maintenance from private companies.

NR said it was ending Balfour Beatty's contract for the Wessex area five months early.

Balfour Beatty's contract was due to end in March but NR will now take over the work from November.

The Wessex area includes commuter lines into Waterloo from Salisbury and Southampton, as well as lines along the South Coast, such as Portsmouth.