Multiple trains had to be halted after a suspected AI-generated image that seemed to show catastrophic damage to a bridge appeared on social media following an earthquake.
A 3.3 magnitude earthquake struck Northern England on Wednesday, with tremors felt across Lancashire and the southern Lake District.
Following the earthquake, images that appeared to show major damage to the Carlisle Bridge in Lancaster started to appear on social media. Network Rail, which runs the railway network in the UK, had to stop service across the bridge while safety inspections were carried out.
A journalist from the BBC ran the images through an AI chatbot and identified key spots that may have been manipulated.
Network Rail reopened the railway line a couple of hours later, after conducting safety inspections.
"The disruption caused by the creation and sharing of hoax images and videos like this creates a completely unnecessary delay to passengers at a cost to the taxpayer. It adds to the high workload of our frontline teams, who work extremely hard to keep the railway running smoothly," a spokesperson said.
"The safety of rail passengers and staff is our number one priority, and we will always take any safety concerns seriously."
According to Network Rail, 32 services, including passenger and freight services, were delayed because of the hoax.
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