Thousands of people have signed a petition against plans for cuts to Southeastern services in the north of Kent.

It has been revealed that, from December 11, the train company will withdraw all off-peak and weekend services to Charing Cross on the Bexleyheath line as part of a timetable shake-up.

The service serves Dartford and Bexley into London.

The company will also reduce direct peak trains on the Sidcup line to Charing Cross, causing disruption for commuters in north Kent and south-east London.

The direct trains running between 7am and 9.30am from New Eltham and Mottingham will be reduced from 13 to just nine, which is expected to cause over-crowding on rush hour trains.

Trains on the Woolwich line will end at Cannon Street rather than Charing Cross when the changes come into place, meaning travellers will have to change at London Bridge.

Commuters are concerned that any delays, combined with the time it takes to get between platforms at London Bridge, may lead to people missing their connection.

Dartford Cllr Kelly Grehan (Lab) said: "It is really disappointing that Southeastern are proceeding with these changes without any consultation or any kind of Equality Impact Assessment.

"Although trains to Cannon Street being restored is welcome it is disappointing to lose so many trains to Charing Cross.

"It may seem reasonable to ask people to change at London Bridge, but this does not take into account the needs of disabled travellers or that we all know - the more trains you factor into a journey the greater the likelihood of disruption to the journey.

"With the road congestion we have in Dartford, public transport, with bus cuts and now this, is becoming more and more inconvenient and with fewer services."

While some of the announced changes have been welcomed, including a new all-day service from Maidstone East to Charing Cross via London Bridge, and more peak services running on the Ashford line, the changes have also been met with anger.

More than 10,000 people have signed a petition, started by SEnine magazine, to save the affected services.

A Southeastern spokesman said: “How our customers use our trains has changed.

"So, we've looked to improve our timetable so our trains can run on time more often and with fewer cancellations.

"We've also removed First Class and looked to reduce congestion at busy times, meaning more seats on trains across the entire Southeastern network. We will continue to look at what further improvements we can make in the future."