Thousands of Colchester commuters were left suffering delays after debris fell from a new bridge being installed near Liverpool Street.

All train services in and out of Liverpool Street were stopped as the line out of the main station was declared unsafe.

It meant another day of misery for City workers today who had to struggle through Stratford to get into London.

And doubts have also been raised about whether London can cope with the transport demands of the 2012 Olympic games.

The disruption started at 7.25pm yesterday as engineers tried to get the new bridge, which is part of the East London line extension work, into place.

A spokesman for Transport for London said the jack which was being used to ease the bridge into its final position gave way and the bridge dropped 200mm on to its support.

Network Rail safety experts declared the area unsafe and all trains were stopped from going in or out of Liverpool Street.

TfL engineers worked through the night to try to repair the damage.

Electrical current was restored at 3.35am today and trains which had been trapped at the stations were moved.

However, the problems meant about 60,000 passengers who travel into the capital daily during peak times suffered significant delays as the trains were run on a reduced service.

All trains were stopped at Stratford.

Passengers also face more disruption as more work will be needed to restore the bridge at a later date.

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