Commuters using the high-speed train service from Dover will see the cost of their season ticket rise by nearly £1,500 in the next three years, according to Labour.

Shadow Transport Secretary Maria Eagle is due to give the warning during a visit to Chatham this evening.

She is calling on the government to rethink the increases planned for each of the next three years. She says research by the Campaign for Better Transport showed how fare rises were now outstripping wage rises adding to the cost of living crisis facing families.

Season tickets for the high-speed train could rise by £1,486 between 2011 and 2015 and by next year the ticket will be more than 27 per cent of the average salary.

"The Tory-led government is totally out of touch with the cost of living crisis facing Dover and Deal commuters, and fails to understand how these eye-watering rail fare rises will add to the burden on families," says Ms Eagle.

"For many, the cost of getting to work is now the biggest single item in the monthly budget, bigger even than rent or mortgage payments.

"These fare rises are the direct consequence of the decision to cut too far and too fast, meaning commuters are having to pay more to plug the hole in the transport budget. With train fares set to rise four times faster than wages in the next year, Ministers should think again and give commuters a break."