Group of young women abandoned in Cumbria by Northern

The group of friends, all aged between 20 and 22, had visited the Lake District to celebrate the occasion in style and were looking to get back to Kendal.

Louise Dewhurst, 21, said: "We were left stranded by Northern and they didn't provide sufficient help to get us home.

"The minibus they sent was filled with a group of lads who did not let us onto the bus - these lads only knew about this train service because we had helpfully told them so on the bus route on the way into Windermere."

Louise shared a few of her BeReals from Preston train station showcasing her growing exasperation with Northern delays (Image: Louise Dewhurst)

Louise described how, following months of disruption during her commute for university and work, the incident represented a breaking point.

"I’ve been fortunate enough to travel lots in the last couple of years despite restrictions and caught trains all over Europe alone, but the trains here in England stress me out the most," she said.

"The woman in the call centre was understanding as there was very little she could do in practice since all the taxis were fully booked."

Louise and one of her friends (Image: Louise Dewhurst)

Craig Harrop, regional director for Northern, explained that service cancellation is 'always a last resort."

He added: "Alternative transport is provided to help get customers where they want to be and our customer service team is always available from Help Points at the station.”

The group were able to call on another friend who had not been drinking to pick them up.

"Sometimes I believe that the train services don’t fully appreciate quite how rural of an area we live in, and what could happen to us if we aren’t savvy and street smart," she said.

"We were a group of vulnerable girls, left in our own local area, by a public transport service that we were meant to rely on and trust."