Southern Rail staff report 'unprecedented' sickness following strike

An ‘unprecedented’ level of staff sickness has swept through the Southern Rail workforce, causing commuter chaos.

The spate of staff sick days comes just weeks after Southern Rail staff staged strike action in a row over the removal of onboard conductors on some routes – the Evening Standard reports.

A statement on Southern's website said: “Southern services are continuing to be affected by a high level of conductor sickness, which is leading to a reduced service on a number of routes.”

A Southern spokesman said: "Unfortunately, we continue to have higher than usual levels of sickness at some of our conductor depots.