Passengers can this morning snap up bargain off-peak train tickets as part of a nationwide half-price sale.

Branded the 'Great British Rail Sale' by the Department for Transport, the promotion sees fares for journeys between towns in Kent and capital slashed in a bid to encourage people back on the railway post-pandemic.

Southeastern, which operates the vast majority of services in the county, has highlighted a number of routes where savings can be made on off-peak journeys booked in advance.

A single fare from Gillingham to London on the high-speed line is being cut from £8.90 to £4.40, while a high-speed single from London to Margate or Canterbury are reduced to £7.10 and £7 respectively.

The discount fares, which sent on sale this morning, are available on selected journeys across the Southeastern network for travel between April 25 and May 7.

Across the entire rail network more than one million tickets will be available, in a move the government hopes will boost passenger numbers which fell dramatically in lockdown and are yet to recover to the levels seen prior to the Covid crisis.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps said: "For the first time ever, operators across the rail industry are coming together to help passengers facing rising costs of living by offering up to 50% off more than a million tickets on journeys across Britain.

"There's no better time to visit friends, family or just explore our great country, so book your tickets today."

The scheme has come in for criticism from Labour and the unions, who say it is little more than a "gimmick" which will do little to ease the cost of living crisis for commuters faced with rising fares.

Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT union, told The Guardian: "The railway system and the travelling public do not need short-term gimmicks. We need a properly funded railway that provides permanently good value and reliability."