Planned strikes by workers on South Western Railway in the guards on trains dispute have been suspended.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union were due to walk out on February 22 and on March 9 and 16.

The union said there had been a breakthrough in the row, following a series of strikes which caused disruption to some of the busiest services in the country.

General secretary Mick Cash previously said RMT members stood "united and solid" in the union's campaign to retain guards on all trains.

"It is a disgrace that South Western Railway have yet again opted to play for time over the past six months rather than acting responsibly and getting round the table with the union to work out a solution to this dispute that puts safety and the guard guarantee centre stage," he said earlier this month.

"That is the package we have successfully negotiated in both Wales and Scotland and on a number of English franchises. It defies belief that we are being denied the same positive outcome on the South Western Railway routes."