TRAIN operator First Great Western has defended its Cotswold Line service, which passes through Evesham and Pershore, after fierce criticism from Mid Worcestershire MP Peter Luff.

Mr Luff was so furious after his train was cancelled at Oxford, prompting a 90-minute delay, he tabled a Parliamentary question to Transport Secretary Alistair Darling about the reliability of trains on the line.

"There's always a reason for the delay," fumed Mr Luff, "but it's the response of First Great Western that is so poor. They just cancel the train without any thought for the passengers who are condemned to a long wait on a cold and wet platform.

"They don't seem to attach any real importance to services along the Cotswold Line and they are driving passengers back to their cars as a result."

But Elaine Wilde, head of communications for the train operator flatly refuted the charges.

"The customer is at the heart of our business," she said, "every decision that is made is made with the customer in mind and we have around 22 million passenger journeys a year.

"No one line is any less important than any other to us."

Mr Luff complained about 'the incompetent handling of a points failure outside Didcot' a week earlier which prompted a two-hour delay as well as a security alert at Reading which meant cancelling the service at Oxford two weeks earlier.

He also mentioned previous 'leaf fall problems' which caused journey times of eight hours between Paddington and Worcester after a delay and a cancellation.

"First Great Western reduced delays for which we were directly responsible by a third over the last four years," replied Ms Wilde. "That makes us one of the best operators in the UK.

"The points failure is down to Network Rail. In times of heightened security I'm sure Mr Luff will appreciate we cannot be too careful and we have to work with the police and emergency services on such matters.

"The media love to highlight leaves on the line as a trivial excuse but it's not an excuse, it's like a car skidding on black ice. It's very serious."