Pensioner Martin Rantzen lives a five-minute walk from the station and believes services there have gone downhill.

He said: "I think Warwick has been neglected to encourage people to use Warwick Parkway station.

"The ticket machine has been out of order since before Christmas and there's nobody in the office, which means you can't get into the waiting room.

"During the time of the snow, the timetable screens weren't working and they have stopped the announcements so there was no way of knowing where a train was going."

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Mr Rantzen, who regularly travels to Birmingham and London, said passengers were unable to get information when the office was closed.

He added: "It is very difficult not to be able to get a ticket from the machine or office or to get any advice as the staff are very helpful when they are there.

"I know the office is closed on Sundays so last week I went to get my ticket on Saturday but it was still closed.

"The toilets are also locked when the office is not staffed and the employees have the key to let people in."

Last November the Courier was contacted by new mother Victoria Boyce who was advised to travel to Birmingham and back to Leamington to avoid crossing the platform at Warwick station as there was no one to help her carry her pushchair and baby daughter Isabel over the bridge.

Chairman of Solihull and Leamington Rail Users Association Frank Shaw believes the condition of the station has been deteriorating for several years.

He said: "It is a big problem and a long-term project.

"The building is very old and they are unable to install lifts. We are also concerned that we may only have one train to London an hour in the future.

"Warwick Parkway has been a great success but it wasn't meant to replace Warwick town station - it was designed to take people off the M40 and M42."

A spokeswoman for Chiltern Railways said: "The station is very important to us and we aim to provide the best service that we can.

"Our booking office is open from Monday to Saturday, from 6.15am to 12.30pm and during these hours we provide a waiting room and toilets.

"There are shelters on both platforms along with help points that go through to our control centre.

"We appreciate that it is frustrating when our systems do not work and we do everything possible to fix the problems.

"Passengers can use our website to find out train times, purchase tickets and book disabled assistance, which will include road transport to the nearest station with disabled access.

"The station is old and was not built with the amenities that you would expect new stations like Warwick Parkway to have."