An official passenger body is challenging planned significant cuts to rail services across south west London.

London TravelWatch, which is the official watchdog representing the interests of transport users across the capital, has taken issue with what critics have called 'alarming' cuts.

Services have been reduced during the pandemic, but now South Western Rail are planning to make many of these permanent from December 2022.

The planned cuts have been announced at the same time as commuters have been warned of steep rises in the cost of tickets, which are due to come into effect in the New Year.

The proposals include trains through St Margarets being halved from four an hour to two. Whitton will lose the Hounslow loop service to Waterloo off-peak, while Teddington, Hampton Wick and Strawberry Hill will all lose two trains during the morning peak.

The changes will have significant impacts on not only commuters going into London but also on many elderly people who do not drive, as well as children and students that rely on the trains for school or simply meeting friends and family.

London TravelWatch Director, Emma Gibson, said: "These look like significant cuts. For somewhere like St Margarets to get just two trains an hour is a big backward step. The trains not only serve commuters but also provide important links for people moving around in south west and west London.

"December 2022 is a long time away and we still have no idea what future travel patterns will be.

"Premature cuts to service could put a lot of people off returning to the railway and disadvantage those who have no choice but to travel. We would expect South Western Railway to closely monitor customer needs and adapt their services accordingly.

"One of the benefits about being more flexible about timetabling as train companies have been during the pandemic is being able to adjust future services in line with demand.

"We must guard against is temporary changes becoming permanent regardless of whether they actually reflect passenger needs going forward."

Last week, the Twickenham MP, Munira Wilson, came out in opposition against the cuts. She held a meeting with SWR representatives to raise her concerns and has urged members of the public to respond to an internet consultation on the timetable changes.

"I urge local residents to join me in responding to the consultation, making clear now is not the time to make these big decisions on our local train services," she said.

People can respond at this link.

In response to the concerns of the MP and residents, an SWR spokesperson said: "The timetable we are proposing from December 2022 will represent a significant increase on our current service levels and provide 93 per cent of our pre-COVID capacity.

"With customer journeys forecast to return to 76 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, it is appropriate that we right-size our services to match demand, improve reliability for our customers and reduce costs for the taxpayer."