AN "extremely important" part of Llangollen Railway's offering is now back in action.

The railway's first steam train service for several months ran on Thursday morning, to the delight of customers and staff.

Liz McGuinness, general manager, said: "The first steam train ran at 10.40am and it was full. "Everyone was very pleased to see it back and they all adhered to social distancing and wore their masks where necessary.

"The 1pm and 3.10pm services were full too, so we had no spare seats all day.

"The steam train is extremely important - it is the thing most people want to ride.

"It is a different experience, with the smell of the steam, the noise of the engine and the whistle blowing.

"It is nostalgic and people enjoy it.We are getting bookings coming in all the time at the moment and I think we're going to be full at the weekend too, which is very promising.

"People can either book online or ring us to book tickets.

"I'd like to thank everyone for their support of the railway and our volunteers for their hard work."

Speaking of her team's adaption to covid-safe measures, she continued: "The volunteers have been fine with it.

"They have visors, face masks and a lot of sanitizer, and we are shutting the station until half an hour before each service so we don't have people milling around. "That gives the volunteers extra security and safety."

For more information about Llangollen Railway, visit: https://www.llangollen-railway.co.uk/