PASSENGERS face years of getting wet in Blackburn train station's leaky subway because rail bosses would have to lift the track to solve the problem.

Every time it rains, the underpass beneath platforms two and four leaks.

Rail bosses have said the only way to solve the problem is to fit a waterproof membrane.

But they have refused to carry out the work until the tracks need replacing, which could be years, because of the inconvenience it would cause.

Today politicians and a rail user group said the company should "get on with it right away."

The problem stems back to the £5million refurbishment of the train station, which started when the Victorian roof was demolished in 1999.

Since then, track has been exposed to the elements, causing the leak.

Coun Andy Kay, pictured below, executive member for regeneration, said the work should have been done as part of the refurbishment programme.

"I can imagine the cost, but it might have been wise to do it when it was first noticed," he added.

Coun Colin Rigby, leader of the Conservatives on Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "It could be 20 years before the track needs replacing."

"We don't want someone trip and fall. But I suppose a bean counter has done their sums, they will have made a commercial decision.

"My view would be get it done as soon as possible on a quiet weekend."

The revelation comes after hundreds of tiles in the subway had to be replaced ahead of the Queen's visit tomorrow, because the wrong type of glue had been used .

Peter Moore, chairman of Ribble Valley Rail, said: "It's a pain in the neck, but common sense has to prevail.

"There are more pressing things on the railway than that."

Alan Benson,secretary of Support the East Lancashire Line Association, said: "They should do it right away, it would not take that much doing."

A spokesman for Network Rail, which runs the station, said the work would be carried out when the track needs replacing.

"A track's life expectancy varies greatly. It could be next year, it might be in a few years I cannot speculate on that," he added.

He said it was difficult to say how long the works would take,but it could involve a 48-hour closure.

He said in the short term a mastic coating would be put in the joints to reduce the leak.