Rail passengers who had bought tickets in advance and hoped to pick them up from machines at stations found they were not working on Tuesday.

The fault affected stations across Britain – including the Greater Anglia network – and left passengers frustrated as they prepared to board their trains.

Greater Anglia said its staff were prepared to accept e-mails showing the reference numbers of tickets ordered by passengers or computer print-outs of the e-mails.

A spokesman for industry body the Rail Delivery Group said: “Passengers with some train companies have been experiencing problems collecting tickets from machines.

“We’re sorry for the inconvenience caused and are working to fix the problem as soon as possible. People affected should speak to their train company or visit the ticket office.”

Passengers who had not pre-booked were still able to buy tickets from machines.