Image copyright N Chadwick/Geograph

Ten of Britain's busiest railway stations have seen over half of all train services delayed by a minute or more this year, research has revealed.

Manchester Oxford Road had the least punctual services, with 68% delayed.

Data analysis by consumer group Which? found York, Gatwick Airport and Birmingham New Street also saw less than 40% of trains arrive on time.

The group said even small delays could have "a knock-on effect" on passengers' ability to complete their journey.

Highest percentage of delayed services

• Manchester Oxford Road - 68%
• York - 65%
• Gatwick Airport and Birmingham New Street - 60%
• Bristol Temple Meads 58%
• Manchester Piccadilly - 56%
• Clapham Junction and Sheffield - 54%
• Manchester Victoria - 51%
• Woking - 50%

Which? looked at services at the 10 busiest stations in London and the 20 busiest outside the capital from the start of January until the end of September.

Using data from performance tracking site On Time Trains, the group found delays at Manchester Oxford Road rose to 77% during peak times and the city's two largest stations, Piccadilly and Victoria, also suffered a high percentage of late services.

The group's spokesman said the "timetable chaos earlier this year", caused by the implementation of new schedules by train operator Northern, had had "dire knock-on effects for [Manchester] passengers' personal and professional lives".

The data also showed the percentage of service cancellations at each station.

London King's Cross saw the highest rate of cancellations - 6% - while Manchester Oxford Road and Gatwick Airport were once again among the worst performing.

Highest percentage of cancellations

• London King's Cross - 6%
• Manchester Oxford Road, Gatwick Airport, Cambridge - 5%
• Bristol Temple Meads, Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Victoria, Edinburgh Waverley, London Bridge, London Paddington, London St Pancras - 4%

The Which? spokesman said that while not all delays and cancellations were the fault of the train operators, these "underperforming destinations and services demonstrate how monitoring and enforcement of punctuality is currently not up to scratch".

Mark Wylie, a Manchester commuter, said the problem "results in people getting even earlier trains just in case their chosen service is cancelled", while Jamie Buchanan-Conroy, who travels through Clapham Junction, said the daily delays had caused him to change his commute.

"I paid... to take an indirect route to work because the direct train was so unreliable, I couldn't use it to get to work," he said.

"I'm lucky that I had an alternative option - many have no choice but to face a daily battle simply to get from A to B."