CUTS to ticket office opening hours at Meldreth Station will be reviewed by the Department for Transport. Residents of Meldreth have been joined by people from neighbouring villages in signing a petition protesting about the changes, which will see openin

CUTS to ticket office opening hours at Meldreth Station will be reviewed by the Department for Transport.

Residents of Meldreth have been joined by people from neighbouring villages in signing a petition protesting about the changes, which will see opening hours of the station's ticket office reduced on weekdays, with the office possibly being closed completely on Saturdays.

Cllr Susan van de Ven, who represents Meldreth on South Cambridgeshire District Council, said: "The Department for Transport will review the consultation carried out by First Capital Connect, and will take our petition into account.

"There is a chance that there may be elements of the decision that they can change."

But Cllr Van de Ven was disappointed by the nature of the consultation carried out by First Capital Connect.

She said: "We got no notice about this, and there was not much effort put into contacting residents.

"The petition had to be taken round by volunteers, and we got 1065 signatures, and it could have been a lot more.

"It was a fantastic response, not only from the people of Meldreth, but also those living in other villages who rely on the station."

The changes are set to come into force in March, with train operator First Capital Connect citing increased use of ticket machines as the reason for them.