Rail union the RMT today announced a fresh round of strike dates as its dispute with Southern rumbles on.

Staff are to hold 14 days of industrial action during October, November and December in protest at the train operator’s plans to remove guards from its services.

Members will strike by refusing to sign up for shifts on the following days:

• Tuesday, October 11 and Thursday, October 13.

• Tuesday, October 18 and Thursday, October 20.

• Thursday, November 3 and Saturday, November 5.

• Tuesday, November 22 and Wednesday, November 23.

• Thursday, December 6 and Thursday, December 8

They will be the latest in a series of strikes this year by the RMT, which accused the company of a “blatant disregard for the safety and security of passengers and staff alike”.

Passengers have endured months of delays and cancellations amid the increasingly bitter dispute between the union and Southern’s parent company, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR.)

General secretary Mick Cash said: "Yet again our members are being forced to take industrial action in a bid to maintain a safe and secure service on Southern. Govia Thameslink and the Government have made it clear that they have no interest in resolving this dispute.

“Instead they have begun the process of bulldozing through the drive towards wholesale Driver Only Operation (DOO) without agreement and without any concern for the impact on safety, security and disability access.

“Last week there was a train derailment near Watford that involved two trains. The guards on both trains played a vital role in protecting the passengers and the trains in what were extremely frightening circumstances. If the train had been DOO and without a guard the consequences would have been far worse.

But Angie Doll, GTR’s passenger services director, said: “The RMT’s desire to heap yet further travel misery on the public and affect the everyday lives of so many people is shameful.

“A comprehensive and fair offer has been on the table for weeks and the union leadership’s claims about jobs, pay, safety are trumped-up make believe.

"This scaremongering by the RMT union is a contrived attempt to gain public support when it knows its spurious arguments about jobs, pay, accessibility and safety have been demolished by independent experts and analysis and are falling on deaf ears.

“We’ve always said we are ready, willing and able to sit down and discuss how best we implement our modernisation plans and give our customers the services they expect and deserve.

"The RMT has to stop being the problem and get on board - finally - and be part of the solution. Everyone is sick and tired of the union’s posturing and it has to stop, and stop now. It’s what the public want.”