The strong winter sunlight has been blamed for delays to Southeastern services again - less than a month after passengers ridiculed the rail company for using the excuse.

Commuters using the busy rail network were told the bright conditions were delaying their journeys, this morning (January 25).

Signalling problems and an ill passenger at London Bridge station caused further disruption.

Southeastern suffered hold ups on its network earlier this month because the angle of the sun meant some drivers could not see the full length of their trains in their mirrors before leaving stations.

Passengers expressed their frustration at the latest sun-related delays, which occurred at Herne Hill station.

Penge resident, Anna Roberts, 31, said: "The train stopped for ages in Herne Hill and everyone looked annoyed.

"Then the driver said there was 'sunlight on the monitor' so the train couldn't proceed.

"The train probably stopped for about 15 minutes. I'm used to there being rail delays, but this seems ridiculous."

Another traveller, Ed Wiseman, 26, of Greenwich, commented: "We were told the train was being held up because of strong sunlight.

"These conditions happen regularly, so I don't know why they haven't done something to stop the delays."

A Southeastern spokesman said: “In regards to our drivers making decisions during their journeys about safety, we trust them entirely to make the right and proper choice to ensure they put the safety of our passengers first.

“We’re sorry to any passengers who have been delayed by the issues this morning.

"We’re working closely with Network Rail to get the issue resolved as quickly as possible.

"Anyone who has experienced a delay of more than 30 minutes is advised to claim compensation via Delay Repay. Details are on our website.”

Some services were cancelled due to signalling problems between Tunbridge Wells and High Brooms in Kent, leading to a backlog of trains waiting to enter London Bridge station.

Network Rail, which maintains Britain's rail infrastructure, said the issue was caused by damage to the track and power supply on Sunday afternoon.

Engineers worked overnight to make repairs, but only one of the two tracks was in use during the morning rush hour.An Network Rail spokesman said: "We apologise to passengers for the changes to train times and we are doing everything we can to repair the problem.

"Trains will still be able to run to and from Tunbridge Wells all day on Monday, but there will be an amended timetable.

"We expect services to return to normal on Tuesday."

The cause of the damage is "still under investigation", the spokesman added.