Rail passengers in and out of Kent could finally enjoy a bit of peace and quiet, as the government has pledged to look into scrapping unnecessary announcements.

It comes as Transport Secretary Grant Shapps launches a review into whether rail companies in England could remove information bulletins deemed not critical for safety or travel information.

Messages that could be axed include reminders for passengers to have their tickets ready when leaving, or that the food court will close before the train arrives at its destination.

The British Transport Police's "see it, say it, sorted" has also been heavily criticised by passengers, as it was constantly played despite signs being up in trains.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said he hopes to make people's journeys more pleasant as they are "all too often plagued by an endless torrent of repeated and unnecessary announcements."

He added: "In line with the passenger improvements, we are rolling out with our Plan for Rail we want to see improvements to the railways for those who use them day in day out.

"That’s why I’m calling for a bonfire of the banalities to bring down the number of announcements passengers are forced to sit through and make their journey that little bit more peaceful."

Jacqueline Starr, from the Rail Delivery Group, said: "We know people want the most relevant and timely messages on their journeys and to help with this, train operators are continuing their work to improve customer information, including cutting unnecessary on-board announcements.

"We’re also going further by asking customers what they want to know and using their responses to plan more useful and consistent announcements across the network, helping people have a better experience travelling by train."

Southeastern has been approached for a comment.