A STATION entrance has been closed off for around one month after parts of the roof above started falling down.

Hugh Neal, a regular commuter, first noticed the work in early December but the entrance way has remained surrounded by metal fencing and blocked to passengers all the way through Christmas and now into January.

Passengers hoping to catch a train currently need to use the Victorian building’s side entrance.

And Mr Neal is concerned that the rotting woodwork and masonry was not spotted one year ago when previous maintenance work and decoration was carried out.

The 43-year-old, who writes a blog called Arthur Pewty's Maggot Sandwich, said: “Apparently there were several near misses where lumps of material dropped down and almost hit passing travellers.

“My guess is that the decoration and maintenance carried out to the station building a while back was merely cosmetic.

News Shopper: The damaged concrete

“A year later we’ve had a freeze and the whole lot is falling from above the main entrance.”

He added: “This can only be described as deliberate and calculated long term neglect. It just would not have occurred in a few months since the decoration was done.”

A spokesman for Network Rail said: "The freezing weather we experienced before Christmas has damaged the concrete parapet above the station entrance.

"Safety is our top priority, and therefore we took the decision to close the main entrance until we could take further steps to resolve the problem. "We thank passengers for their patience during this time."

It is due reopen later this week.