Northern has said a permanent goodbye to the first three Pacers to leave the network for good.

Three Pacers have been removed and returned to owning company Angel Trains, with many more to follow in the coming weeks.

Northern had a fleet of 102 class 142 and class 144 pacers.

By the end of the year the majority of remaining Pacers will be removed from customer service, with only a handful remaining.

All retired Pacers will be broken down for scrap.

David Brown, Northern’s managing director, said: "Whilst pacers have served the North well, we know that they are old, outdated and not popular with our customers.

"At least 55 of the 102 Pacers will be permanently retired by the end of this year, with the remainder all gone by May next year."