Local Liberal Democrats have strongly condemned the continuing train disruption caused by ‘driver shortages’.Lib Dem Leader and local councillor Chris White said: ‘I have been getting complaints about the deteriorating service for some days – a problem sometimes made worse by the inappropriate deployment of short trains.

‘Local people pay a fortune for season tickets and travel cards but at the moment can no longer rely upon this railway to get that them to their destinations.

‘Thameslink have been making excuses about their lack of drivers ever since they got the franchise. But we now need the truth. Why is the problem so acute at this time of year? Is there a bug going round? Or is management failing to do what it supposed to do and manage the rosters properly?’