WINCHESTER MP Steve Brine is pressing South West Trains to improve late-night safety at Winchester station.

Travellers have expressed concerns around safety, especially for passengers arriving back into Winchester late at night.

The station is currently unstaffed after 9pm and both ticket offices are closed forcing travellers to exit via a poorly-lit side gate on Platform 2.

Mr Brine said: “SWT are working really hard on all of this and are still progressing with plans to increase the opening hours at Winchester. Part of that I am pleased to say is a trial over the next fortnight to open the booking hall on Platform 2 on Sunday-Thursday nights to provide an alternative exit from the station.”

Mr Brine said he had also been working with Cllr Mike Southgate, the new transport portfolio holder at Winchester City Council, to improve access from the car park onto Andover Road.

Cllr Southgate said: “We’ve got some land ownership issues to overcome but council officers and Hunts Foods are now working well and we just need to put the final bit of funding in place to get on with the work.

“We are also talking to SWT about the best way to monitor the new car park and surrounding area via the CCTV system currently viewed by a team at Waterloo. There may be a way the city can help with that locally to improve response should an incident occur.”