Last-minute deal heads off rail strike

The train drivers' union, Aslef, reached an 11th-hour settlement last night in their dispute with a regional railway company. The agreement comes on the day the union's members of Regional Railways North East voted overwhelmingly for a series of one-day strikes and an overtime ban.

A spokesman for Aslef said: "We have had a guideline from Regional Railways North East that it will respect the rights of our members to so-called quality time."