THE state of Blackpool North station has come under fire from one of the resort's MPs.

Gordon Marsden, who has received complaints from many of his constituents in Blackpool South and is himself a regular passenger, has blasted North Western Trains, particularly complaining about the station being dirty and a poor train service on Sundays.

He said: "There is a lack of litter bins and little evidence of regular cleaning - leaving the station grimy and untidy.

"People waiting for trains are frequently barred from boarding until literally a minute or so before the advertised departure.

"This causes unnecessary congestion on the station concourse, delays departure and passengers feel they are treated like cattle."

Mr Marsden also questioned the lack of services on a Sunday, saying: "There is inadequate provision of carriages, particularly in the holiday season when there is little attempt to accommodate the large numbers of passengers with luggage."

A spokesperson for North West Trains said: "Safety is at the heart of the barrier situation.

"It's a very busy situation at Blackpool and we use the same system they use at Euston.

"Overcrowding on trains should be solved with the introduction of our new rolling stock.

"We are required to have it in place by the year 2000 and it should help cope with the strain of extra passengers.

"On the subject of litter, we have had a discussion and we will be addressing it.

"Safety is always our priority so sometimes staff may have to help passengers and ignore the rubbish.

"We try our very best and carry out our engineering work on Sundays, which is planned months ahead. Sunday is normally a quiet day, which makes it the best to carry out necessary repairs.

"We make sure there are alternative services."

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