THERE will be no last minute reprieve for Hartford station, it has been revealed.

At a Virgin Trains joint sub committee meeting held in Birmingham last Thursday, it was announced that plans to axe the West Coast Mainline services to Hartford would go ahead as planned next month.

But Chris Green, chief executive of Virgin Trains, said they had no other option but to cancel the service.

"It was a very hard decision for us to make but we didn't feel we could justify an £11 million train making the stops," he said.

"We are are fully committed to the cross country trains which are here to stay and will make sure the connections work well."

The Guardian's petition - which had been signed by almost 2,500 people - was also presented to Mr Green at the meeting.

With regard to the petition, Mr Green added: "I would like to pass on my thanks for this information, we do appreciate the strength of feeling in the area."

The decision has outraged Weaver Vale MP Mike Hall, who said of the announcement: "There is a degree of arrogance from Virgin, this is a retrograde step and a bad day for the people who travel from Hartford.

"It just shows how out of touch Virgin are with the travelling public."

The Guardian, with the full support of local MPs Mike Hall and Stephen O'Brien, will continue to present the strength of feeling in the area to Mr Green and will continue to campaign for the reinstatement of the West Coast Mainline service.