Train operator Southeastern has been ranked joint bottom in an annual train satisfaction survey with only 40 per cent of passengers saying they are satisfied with the service.

The survey by Which? surveyed 7,415 passengers across News Shopper's patch and it was revealed 80 per cent of people think train fares are too high while 53 per cent would pay more if the service improved.

Half would pay more for a more reliable service or to guarantee a seat and around one in 10 passengers said they wanted cleaner trains.

Sean Ottley, 29, who is a Bexleyheath commuter, said: "I am not in the least bit surprised that Southeastern passengers have voiced their concerns about the train operator's poor service via this recent survey.

"Late and short-formed services, inadequate communication, poor maintenance and unclean carriages is an experience many Bexleyheath residents have to deal with on a day-to-day basis.

"Being ranked joint bottom for passenger satisfaction should be a wake up call for Southeastern to tackle these endemic issues which plague its service and make a mockery of commuters who have no choice but to pay a premium to ride its trains."

Which? has joined forces with Dartford MP Gareth Johnson and wants passengers to get in touch with their tales of journeys on Southeastern trains.

Mr Johnson said: "It is no surprise to me that Southeastern is bottom of this survey.

"As a commuter myself, I have regularly experienced poor service from Southeastern.

"I am really pleased that Which? has embarked on this survey and is helping to inform passengers how they can complain and seek compensation for delays they experience."

People can get advice on how to claim refunds for train delays and cancellations on the Which? website.

Richard Lloyd, Which? executive director said: "People have been let down time and again by poor train services, yet despite the spiralling cost of tickets many are putting up with it and not complaining."

A spokesman for Southeastern said: "We're disappointed with the result of the Which? survey, but we've had a challenging few months with bad weather and infrastructure problems affecting services and so it's understandable that customers have expressed their frustration through this survey.

"Just last month the independent National Passenger Survey, based on a larger sample of customers, said 84 per cent of passengers were satisfied with out service and placed us better than the national average.

"We've worked really hard to improve reliability and to ensure that customers have the information that they need in the event of disruption. We take all feedback on board and we're committed to continuing to work on improving our service."

To share your train tales visit which.co.uk/trains