Sutton’s MPs have spoken out after rail commuters were warned to expect a rail fare hike next year in controversial plans announced by the Government.

Plans to increase season ticket fares by 3.2 percent were confirmed earlier this week (August 15), making some season tickets hundreds of pounds more expensive.

The raise is expected to come in next January as the price of an annual pass from Brighton to London, for instance, will be £4,846 – up £150.

Commuters travelling from Epsom to London – on any route – will see their season ticket rise by £71 to £2,299.

Carshalton and Wallington MP Tom Brake believes the news is an “outrageous kick in the teeth for long-suffering commuters” and rail providers should be "stripped" of their contracts.

Sutton and Cheam MP Paul Scully says the increases are “difficult to swallow”, however, the investment would go into the network to accommodate increasing passenger numbers.

Liberal Democrat Mr Bake said: “Local rail users already suffer enough from the terrible service provided by GTR Southern Rail and Thameslink, so the idea of paying even more for this service is an outrageous kick in the teeth for long-suffering customers.

“Rather than raising prices, the Government should be punishing rail providers for their shocking service by stripping them of their contracts. Instead the Government are allowing the failing rail companies to make more profits at the expense of improving rail services and frustrated commuters.”

Conservative Mr Scully said: “Rail fare increases are difficult for commuters to swallow given the recent problems with services running through Sutton and Worcester Park.

“But this will go into investment in the network to cater for the increasing passenger numbers on ageing track.

“We need to get the trains that we already have running properly so that we can move towards increasing capacity such as extending the London Overground to Sutton.”

Rail fares become more expensive each January, with increases in about 40 per cent of fares being regulated by the Government.

The rest is dictated by train companies, such as Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) which operates across south east England, and greater London.

According to the Rail Delivery Group, which represents the railway, 98p of every pound spent on train fares is invested back into the railway.

Those which are regulated are season tickets on most commuter routes, some off-peak return tickets on long-distance journeys and Anytime tickets in major cities in the country.

There has been fierce backlash to the news which came out earlier this week, from politicians, union secretaries and others, and the Government understands this is an "unwelcome" announcement.

However, it was insisted that it's "not fair to ask people who do not use trains to pay more for those who do".