A petition to save the ticket offices at Warwick's stations has been launched by the town's MP.

MP for Warwick and Leamington Matt Western has launched the online campaign to protect the facilities in Warwick and Leamington in the light of nationwide plans to shut most of the country's offices over the next three years.

The move has been made by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train companies, after talks with the RMT union failed to reach an agreement.

The industry body has said only 12 per cent of tickets are currently sold at station kiosks on average, compared with 85 per cent in 1995, with passengers now buying more tickets online or at machines.

It argues that changes will enable staff to come out from behind the glass of station offices and be free to help more passengers.

But Mr Western says the plans would leave vulnerable and disabled customers unable to access the same level of service.

"The decision to close nearly all ticket office stations across England will have a huge impact on passengers who use the service and look to the ticket office staff for support and guidance as they're booking their journeys," he said.

"The staff at our local stations are always on hand to offer guidance and help and have worked tirelessly through some really tough years.

"Through the pandemic, they were on the frontline, serving customers despite the risk to their health and keeping our rail services moving.

"The focus should be on providing customers with the much used and appreciated service at our local stations, not making changes that will make it harder for passengers to purchase tickets and get advice from ticket office staff."

Chiltern Railways, which serves both Warwick Station and Warwick Parkway Station, has now launched a public consultation on the plans.

A statement on the company website said: "Under the proposals, ticket office colleagues would transition to multi-skilled 'customer help' roles - already in place in many parts of the network, such as Bicester Village and Oxford Parkway Stations.

"This means staff will be brought closer to customers by moving out from the ticket office into the public areas of stations where they would be able to better provide fares advice and support customers with accessibility needs.

"Our proposal is for you to purchase your travel online or via mobile apps before arriving at the station.

"However, if you are unable to do so, staff will be available at stations to assist with your ticket purchase from self-service ticket vending machines."

Details on how to respond to Chiltern's consultation can be found here.

Mr Western's petition can be found here.