The Liberal Democrat London Mayoral candidate standing in the May 2020 election has complained commuting on South Western Railway can be a “daily misery”.

Siobhan Benita, 47, described Kingston as “a bit of a hidden gem”, but conceded that locals may not be “feeling it” when they are stuck on a platform waiting for their train to arrive.

The mayoral candidate who commutes to work on Southwestern Railway every day, said that she has found it can be a “daily misery”, due to daily cancellations and strikes.

She said: “Several mayors have said ‘we are going to tackle this’. There’s more that needs to be done in holding these train companies to account.

“People pay a lot of money, and the Mayor should be doing a lot more.”

Ms Benita, who stood as an independent in the 2012 election, has been based in the borough of Kingston for over a decade.

She said: “I have lived in Kingston borough for the last 14 years, but before that I was just over the borough in Merton, so I am a local.

“It’s a lovely place to live. You have the best of both worlds living close to the centre, with Richmond Park and Surrey nearby.”