A ST HELENS councillor is calling on train operator First North Western to improve its station staffing levels after Eccleston Park was named as second on a 'list of shame' for unstaffed City Line stations which should be fully operational.

Terry Hanley, the council's Cabinet Member for Transport, described this as "unacceptable for an important commuter station" adding that Merseytravel paid for stations to be fully staffed during operating hours.

He said: "Imagine not being able to pay for your provisions in a supermarket because the tills were unstaffed. There is absolutely no difference when it comes to buying a train ticket.

"We are talking 17 hours out of more than 400 during the last period. It isn't a huge amount of time but that really isn't the point and I will be pressing First North Western for assurances that staffing levels will be brought up to speed."

He added: "Merseytravel and St Helens Council are investing heavily in the regeneration of the borough so it is vital the other partners play a full role in that process."

These figures do not include occasions when staff are away from the ticket office performing legitimate duties like assisting disabled customers.