PETERSFIELD railway station has been singled out as a Òvandalism hot spotÓ by South West Trains after the newly refurbished subway was attacked.

And newly set up teams of railway police have been told to keep a special watch for

hooligans leaving trains at Petersfield.

The subway was closed for repair and refurbishment work after flooding badly damaged the pedestrian link between the two platforms.

It was reopened last year complete with new tiling.

But SWT Group station manager, Tony Thornton, told a meeting of the Portsmouth to Waterloo Rail Users Group last week that vandals had kicked tiles off the walls and they have now had to be boarded over.

He said gates were now being placed at the entrance to the subway and a new

closed-circuit television camera was being positioned in the underpass.

ÒThe gates are opened at 5-30 am and closed at 10 pm,Ó said Mr Thornton. ÒThis means that passengers from the last two train services of the evening will have to use the pedestrian access across the footbridge.Ó

Mr Thornton told the meeting: ÒPetersfield has also been highlighted as a vandalism hot spot so that our Travel Safe security teams can keep a special eye on the situation. Let us hope they can prevent these mindless idiots from doing what they are doing.Ó

Chairman of the group Brian Keefe said the vandalism at the railway station reflected

the situation elsewhere in Petersfield where cases of vandalism had soared.

ÒThe important thing is to get them seen and caught,Ó he told the meeting.

The Travel Safe scheme was launched at Clapham last year but now it has been extended to cover the Portsmouth and Guildford areas, including Petersfield and Haslemere.

The officers are recruited and trained by South West Trains and the British Transport Police (BTP) in partnership. They work closely with BTP officers to target problem areas and increase the uniformed presence on the network.

Their main role is to enforce the railway byelaws and provide help, support and reassurance to passengers and staff. They also take part in police operations to catch offenders and go into local schools to warn children of the problems caused by trespassing on the railway and anti-social behaviour on trains.

The introduction of Travel Safe officers in the Petersfield area builds on the work carried out as part of Operation Clean Up the Patch, which was launched by South West Trains early last year.

The operation aims to

stamp our anti-social behaviour, petty vandalism and fares evasion on the railway. Measures include increasing ticket checks on trains and at barriers and more patrols by security guards.