Only months after Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was the subject of controversy after suggesting Britain consider women-only carriages on trains, a German rail operator has announced it is launching the service after a series of violent sex attacks in the country.

Mitteldeutsche Regiobahn will introduce the new carriage on the Leipzig to Chemnitz line. Boys up to the age of 10 will also be allowed in the carriages, but once they hit 11 they will have to sit in the mixed compartments.

However, despite the widespread sex attacks over New Year's Eve in Cologne, the operator denied that the introduction of the women-only carriages had anything to do with the repeated assaults, with a spokesman saying: "The proposal for this came from passengers who want more privacy... It has nothing to do with sexual harassment."

European train operator launches women-only carriages after a spate of sex attacks