The company responsible for trains from Brighton had the third most cancelled services in a four-week period.

Govia Thameslink, the company behind Southern, Gatwick Express and Thameslink services, had 11.9 per cent of its trains cancelled in the four weeks to January 7.

The figures, which equate to around one in nine trains, puts the company behind only Avanti West Coast and Southeastern in terms of cancellations.

The data for Govia Thameslink, which also runs Great Northern and TransPennine Express services, is its second worst cancellation score since figures were measured.

The ORR figures show 53 per cent of the cancellations across Britain were attributed to train companies, with the remainder due to issues affecting infrastructure such as signalling faults and severe weather.

Industrial action and bad weather blighted rail companies across the measured period, with RMT union members walking out over a pay dispute.

A spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group, which represents operators, said the coronavirus pandemic has had a long-term impact on services by reducing staff training and increasing absence rates.

He said: “The current national dispute involving three rail unions has also caused severe disruption to services both on strikes days and on the days either side of them.”