One of East Sussex's main train operators plans to cut crowding by ripping out half the seats in its carriages.

Connex, which runs services from London to Hastings, today launched public consultation on plans to introduce Underground-style standing room.

Carriages would be cleared of half of their seats and fitted with straps and rails.

The company said it had no fixed ideas about the new carriages and hoped input from passengers would help with the design.

It will await the results of consultation before considering whether to roll out the plan beyond the boundary of Greater London.

A Connex spokeswoman said: "What we need to do is be able to allow people to stand more comfortably."

The company says many of its customers using busy London services are unhappy about overcrowding on peak services.