Commuters taking early morning trains to London from Maidstone West today were urged to sign a Liberal Democrat petition against further rail cuts.

County Councillor Rob Bird, Heath Ward borough councillor James Willis and activist Ian Chittenden handed out leaflets to travellers warning that under the current terms of the new franchise for the South East region, the Government was prepared to allow a reduction in high speed services from Maidstone West and Snodland to just two each way.

Furthermore, it had been announced in November that the vital link to the Thameslink service would be delayed until the end of 2019 and could be scrapped altogether.

Cllr Willis said: "These rail links are vital for the hard-pressed commuters from Maidstone and West Kent who have had to put up with a third class service for too long."

He thanked Kent Messenger reporter Tom Pyman for drawing public attention to the issue with the KM's own Save Our High Speed Services campaign.