A RAIL company has blamed problems beyond its control for the latest delays in a commuter line - at the same time as it finds itself under Internet attack.

A website set up to chronicle the mishaps of Arriva Trains Northern is proving a huge success.

The arrivasucks.com website has seen a massive 100,000 hits in just a month, as commuters rush online to verbally bash the beleaguered franchise operator.

Among those queuing up to take a shot were ticket holders travelling on the York to Harrogate line who suffered delays last week.

Arriva bosses today would not confirm the extent of last week's service problems, describing them as "temporary".

They argued the delays were beyond their control, with signalling problems and leaves on the line to blame - maintenance issues which are Railtrack's responsibility.

Peter Cushing, regional director for Arriva Trains, said: "It is hard to tell how many services were affected.

"The problems have been caused by signalling on a single track rail and by leaves on the line. These are temporary delays."

A Railtrack spokeswoman said: "We have had problems with the signalling, caused by an electrical fault, which have been rectified."

Ernie Preston, of the Rail Passengers Committee, said: "It would be wrong, in this instance, to try and lay much of the blame on Arriva."

Back in October, Arriva was threatened with a £2 million fine from the Strategic Rail Authority for previous cancellations.

At the same time the company announced it was cutting 800 services a week in Yorkshire from its winter timetable.

Such experiences led website creator, Andy Everingham, from Leeds, to start up his successful gripe site.

He is now appealing for more North Yorkshire people to share their experiences online.

He said: "Some of the stories we are being told about are amazing. It's not too surprising but it makes interesting reading.

"Although there is a serious edge to the site, it is really quite light-hearted and aims to ease people's fury at Arriva.

"I am appealing to anyone from North Yorkshire to share their experiences and complaints. Just get involved."

Julie Jobling, media relations manager at Arriva plc, said: "We are always more than happy to receive feedback from our customers and are working very hard to provide the level of service that our customers expect and deserve."

Updated: 10:34 Monday, December 10, 2001