Train passengers are being asked to use face masks - even after it is no longer law.

Sourtheastern wants its customers in Kent to carry on using Covid masks after the legal requirement ends tomorrow.

The company wants this done when carriages and platforms are crowded.

Its policy is represented by a statement from industry representatives the Rail Delivery Group.

It said: “Rail companies will ask people to follow the government guidance and, out of respect for others, wear face coverings if an indoor setting is busy.

"Train travel is low risk, with the majority of carriages well-ventilated by air conditioning systems or by doors and windows.

"As restrictions lift, we will continue carrying out extra cleaning and providing better information about how busy services are, so that our passengers can travel with confidence.”

From tomorrow nearly all remaining restrictions to guard against coronavirus, such as face mask wearing and social distancing, end. It is dubbed Freedom Day and is the fourth and final major stage out of lockdown.

This is even though cases of coronavirus are rising again although numbers of deaths are low.

Southeastern has a SeatFinder tool for mobile phones to help keep people socially distanced on trains.

Using train loading data of the same service from the previous week it provides information of how busy a service is expected to be.

Southeastern follows in the footsteps of shopping centre Bluewater, which announced it too would be encouraging shoppers to continue to wear face coverings after Freedom Day, although some social distancing measures such as the one-way system will be ditched.

Read more: All the latest news from Kent