County transport chiefs have today joined a chorus of criticism being directed at rail chiefs of Southern after weeks of severe disruption, delays and cancellations.

KCC cabinet member for transport Cllr Matthew Balfour (Con) has written a letter to the boss of the company which operates rail services to berate him for the havoc being caused to passengers.

He called on Southern to reconsider its plan to axe hundreds of services in a response to ongoing cancellations and delays.

The firm said there would be 341 fewer daily services on the revised schedule, which starts on Monday. It currently runs 2,242 services every weekday.

In his letter to Charles Horton, chief executive of the operator, Cllr Balfour hits out at the “appalling level of service”.

The letter expressed “serious concern” over an emergency timetable due to come into effect on Monday to Friday from next Monday and will be in place until further notice.

There are two main routes operated by Southern which serve Kent: the Tonbridge to London via Redhill and the Ashford to Brighton via Hastings.

Mr Balfour said that while he did not support the strike action by the RMT union, he was growing “increasingly concerned at the appalling level of service provided by your company in recent weeks”.

He added: “The proposed emergency timetable will not help at all those parents and pupils who desperately need to access their places of education.

“I trust that your company will reconsider the emergency timetable, which will have a devastating effect on those for whom travel by rail is the only viable and realistic option for their essential journeys.”

Tonbridge and Malling MP Tom Tugendhat is among those demanding the operator lose its franchise.

He said: "Over the past few months the service on the Uckfield and Tonbridge-Redhill line has significantly deteriorated. It now comes as a surprise to passengers when a train runs on time.

"Govia Thameslink is clearly incapable of running a major rail franchise, and I would like to see it stripped of the Southern franchise immediately.”