SW Trains have abandoned efforts to keep public facilities on a local station in the face of continued vandalism

12.00.00am GMT Mon 13th Jan 2003

MP Vincent Cable condemned the company for "defeatism" and for "handing a victory to the local yobs and vandals".

He had taken up the issue on behalf of Whitton residents and has now been told by the Managing Director of SW Trains that because of lack of government funding (through the Strategic Rail Authority) for lighting, security and supervision it is not willing to keep the facilities open.

Vincent Cable said: "Once agencies throw in the sponge against vandalism and admit defeat, there is a corrosive effect on morale generally."

"That is why the local council keeps up spending on graffiti clean-up. The rail companies appear to have no such understanding or commitment."

"Against the billions being spent on the West Cost mainline a few hundred thousand spent on improving the quality of travel on London's suburban network is hardly asking too much".

Vincent Cable is to meet the SRA in the near future to press his objections to the lack of support by the network for suburban station improvements, as at Whitton.