Rail services will be affected by a planned strike by union members next week, First Great Western has confirmed.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union at First Great Western will walk out from 6.30pm on July 8 in a 24-hour strike over jobs and other issues.

The rail operator has said long distance and local rail services will be hit from Thursday, July 9 until the morning of Saturday, July 11. Capacity will be limited and trains will be very busy, it said.

The company said an overtime ban on Saturday, July 11 could also mean late notice changes or possible cancellations.

It added levels of service would vary by area due to the availability of trained staff to safely operate services.

First Great Western said customers with tickets for the dates affected could choose to travel on either Wednesday, July 8 or Saturday, July 11 instead.

Managing director Mark Hopwood said: "We are pleased that we have been able to identify a number of routes and services where we can continue to offer a service. This is limited and in some areas services are significantly impacted.

“This is not true in every case and we recognise that for many of our customers the RMT’s decision to ask their members to strike will cause considerable inconvenience."