Part of the Croydon network has been suspended after mystery debris caused tram breakdowns

Several trams in Croydon have been taken out of service after track debris caused damage, Transport for London said.

On Friday morning, the lack of trams meant there was no service on the line between East Croydon and New Addington, Elmers End and Beckenham Junction.

The line was operating on the other sides from 7.40 am.

The debris that damaged the trams’ wheels was investigated, the BBC reported, but engineers were unable to find what it was.

The repair work that was supposed to be carried out this week has been delayed due to the strike that was held by the engineers.

The Unite union accused TfL of “bad faith” in the way it engaged in the talks, which saw 60 staff walk out between Sunday and Thursday.

A spokesman for Transport for London said: “We will never enter into conversations in bad faith and we have been open and honest throughout the process.”

TfL said the wreckage was not caused by vandalism and around 12 trams are out of service.

A spokesman added: “A number of our trams have unfortunately suffered wheel damage from debris on a section of track, meaning we are currently operating a significantly reduced service across London’s tram network.

“This impact is likely to affect services over the weekend and beyond while we repair the wheels, but our priority is to get the trams back to safety as quickly as possible.”