RULES banning eating and drinking in Keighley Railway Station’s ticket hall have been derided by an Oxenhope commuter.

Kevin Campbell-Wright was alerted to the ruling by a cleaner shortly after he sat down to eat his sandwiches and drink a coffee.

He said: “I’m paying a lot of money for their service, so I should at least be able to sit somewhere warm and have my breakfast.”

A Northern Rail spokesman said the rule had been brought in following problems with litter.

Keighley’s ticket hall includes a kiosk that sells drinks and snacks, and there are also three cafes directly outside the station.

Mr Campbell-Wright, who works for a national charity, said he had been catching an early morning train to London and had bought a sandwich from one of the cafes.

“I collected my ticket and sat down in the ticket hall to have my sandwich and coffee,” he said.

“A cleaner came and told me ‘you’re not allowed food and drink in here’, and pointed to a sign by the ticket booth windows.

“I didn’t want to argue at the time, so I took my sandwich and coffee elsewhere.

“I went out onto the area where you can view the platforms, but there’s nowhere to sit down.

“Various other passengers who were there remarked it was ridiculous.”

The Northern Rail spokesman added: “There is a heated waiting room on the Leeds-bound platform, and another on the Skipton-bound platform, for customers wishing to eat or drink under cover.”

She could not confirm precisely when the ‘no eating and drinking’ rule had first been introduced.

Mr Campbell-Wright pointed out the heated waiting room on the Leeds-bound platform was not always open, and that seats on the platforms are often wet early in the morning.

He said he was a regular user of the station, but added this was the first time he had been told not to eat in the ticket hall.

“I haven’t seen the cleaner before,” he said.

“I don’t really understand why they have this rule – no-one has given me an explanation.

“I’m passionate about rail travel, and I want more people to be travelling by train, but I do expect a certain level of comfort.

“Keighley is a traditional, pretty-looking station, and there are certainly worse stations in the world, but it is lacking in services.”

lWhat do you think? E-mail richard.parker@keighleynews.co.uk or write to the Keighley News, 80-86 North Street, Keighley BD21 3AG.