TOWNS across the Herald area have been named as some of least affordable commuter towns in the UK, research has revealed.

It comes as rail fares are set to increase today (January 2) by an average 2.7 per cent across the country, pushing annual season tickets up by “more than £280” for those commuting from the outer edges of London.

Commuters have also been blighted by industrial action throughout the later months of the year, particularly across the Christmas period.

Research by online mortgage broker Trussle ranked Haslemere as the UK’s 297th (out of 350) “most affordable” commuter town – analysing house prices, mortgage payments, rail season tickets and peak commuting times.

It found that 12 month season ticket prices from Haslemere to the capital will increase from £4,202 to £4,360 – an increase of 3.7 per cent, one percentage point above the UK average.

It means the total monthly cost for a commuting homeowner in Haslemere is on average £2,454.40 – taking into account mortgage repayments, using house price data by Zoopla, and the season ticket cost.

Farnham followed closely behind, ranked at 277th – with an average monthly cost for a commuting homeowner of £2,279, even though the season ticket fare rise remains closer to the national average for Farnham commuters, with a 2.8 per cent increase from £4,152 to £4,268.

Liphook is ranked the UK’s 255th most affordable commuter town – with passengers also absorbing a 2.8 per cent season ticket hike from £4,296 to £4,416, taking total monthly bills to £2,091.58 on average.

Alton is the most affordable town locally, coming in at 215th, again incorporating a 2.8 per cent increase to rail season ticket prices. Commuters from Alton will see their season tickets rise from £4,336 to £4,456 – with a monthly average cost to commuting home-owners of £1,915.43.

Reflecting on the rise in costs, Barry Jones of the Alton Line Users Association (ALUA), highlighted how the increase in rail fares by Train Operating Companies (TOCs) is not directly linked to Network Rail – those responsible for infrastructure investments to the railway lines.

He added that “changes to regulated train fares are completely unrelated to any change in TOCs employees rates of pay” – following former Transport Secretary Chris Grayling’s comments to the BBC, accusing trade unions of demanding “higher pay rises than anyone else”, which drove the 3.1 per cent increase to rail fares at the start of 2019.

Alton mayor, Cllr Graham Titterington also commented on behalf of the ALUA: “Every year we get a real-terms fare increase, supposedly justified by investment in improved services and new trains.

“And yet year on year there is no improvement in services or new trains – so what are we paying for?”

Reflecting on the RMT union’s ongoing industrial dispute with South Western Railway, Martin Odell, secretary of the Haslemere Rail Users Group welcomed the recent announcement that “transport unions face measures to reduce the impact of industrial action” in the Queens Speech, and added “enough is enough, time for change”.