Rail passengers in the north east have been warned of disruption after a train derailed at Stonehaven.

The incident happened in the Aberdeenshire town around 5pm on Wednesday.

The cause of the derailment is not yet known, but all services on the line have been cancelled.

The disruption is affecting all services between Edinburgh and Aberdeen, with services cancelled or terminated at and started back from Dundee.

ScotRail said it was organising replacement buses between Aberdeen and Dundee.

In a statement, the company said: "If you're travelling to Aberdeen you can use ScotRail services via Inverness. This will add significant time to your journey.

"Check before you travel to ensure you'll be able to make a connecting train at Inverness."

It later emerged that the service would face disruption until Thursday evening.

ScotRail said: "A train has become derailed at Stonehaven which is preventing us from running any trains through this area. We won't be able to get the train re-railed until daylight hours on Thursday October 11 and once the train has been removed, we'll need to inspect the track for damage and make repairs.

"We are making plans for services between Dundee and Aberdeen to be suspended until at least 6pm on Thursday October 11."

Anyone whose journey has been disrupted can claim for a refund via the ScotRail website.