SCABS brought in to break Avanti West Coast picket lines are being paid £500 a shift, rail union RMT said today.

The company, which is on record as one of Britain’s most inefficient operators, faces further strike action by train managers on Sunday in a dispute over pay and rest day working.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “It is wrong that Avanti is paying replacement managers up to £500 per shift — around double what our members earn — while they fail to deliver the same service.