A train operator has urged passengers not to travel on several routes in north-west England on Sunday due to a lack of staff.

Northern, which is owned by the Department for Transport, warned that “short notice cancellations are expected”.

It said in a statement that due to “train crew being unavailable” it is advising passengers “do not travel” between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge; Manchester Victoria and Chester; Manchester Piccadilly and Chester; Manchester Piccadilly and Stoke; or Liverpool Lime Street and Blackpool North.

The operator added: “Services on some routes in and around the North West may be subject to disruption and very short notice cancellations.

“We encourage everyone to plan ahead and check journeys before travelling, particularly last trains of the day which may be earlier than usual and may be cancelled at short notice.

“If you do travel, please leave yourself plenty of time to do so and don’t rely on last services.”

The operator has made a high number of cancellations in recent months, particularly on Sundays.

Many train drivers and other crew members do not have Sunday working included in their contracts, with numerous operators such as Northern often relying on them volunteering to work extra paid shifts to run timetabled services on that day.

Northern has been issued with a “breach notice” by the Department for Transport, which requires the operator to produce an improvement plan.

A spokesperson for Northern said: “Our customers have experienced higher levels of cancellations in recent weeks and for that we are sorry.

“The underlying reason for services being cancelled remains traincrew availability and Sundays being contractually outside of the working week.

“The breach notice issued by the Department for Transport is being taken incredibly seriously and improving the reliability of our timetable remains our top priority.”