A FATHER has demanded that something be done about a failing train service which he says has left his daughter ill and out of pocket.

Emma Midgley, 19, arrives at Accrington train station every morning about 7.30am for the 7.48am train from Accrington to Preston to get her to work.

But in recent weeks she has been late more often than not because that train, run by First North Western, and a subsequent one, run by Arriva, have either been late or not arrived at all.

Her father Bob Jones, of Cartmell Avenue, Fern Gore, says that although she spends £25.90 on a weekly return ticket she only gets about £10 worth of journeys out of it and that waiting in the pouring rain on cold mornings has made her ill.

Today both train companies apologised for the delays and said they were doing all they could to solve the problems.

He said: "I am concerned about her health because she has had flu and is standing out in the cold getting soaked wet through. There is the issue of safety as she is in the dark waiting for trains that don't come."

Mr Jones, 47, added that he would gladly take his daughter into work every day but because he cares for his disabled wife Christine, 45, he is unable to do so.

Emma relies on the train to get her to her job at Beverley Hills Nails, in the Fishergate Centre, as she cannot afford to learn to drive after moving into her own flat on Fern Gore Avenue.

A spokesperson for First North Western, which operates the service which stops at all stations, said: "Over the last eight weeks there have been problems on the line because of driver shortages.

"First North Western are recruiting 100 extra drivers to combat this.

"There have also been some problems with train reliability which they are trying to improve with modifications to the trains.

"Over half the problems are due to rail infrastructure. Railtrack have been sending sanding trains out to increase traction on the tracks because of fallen leaves on the tracks but this is not being done as fully as First North Western would like."

A spokesperson for Arriva Trains Northern said the company was training over 200 new drivers across the country.

She added: "We also have a number of speed restrictions on this line."