BASINGSTOKE station has been named as the pride of South West Trains at the rail operator’s first ever customer service awards.

The station was jointly named with Southampton as the best large station used by South West Trains in their I Make the Difference Awards.

Judges said staff at the station have done well to keep on top of the busy service and keep the station tidy.

They acknowledged that commuters were treated to free breakfasts and healthy advice for those who left home without having a bite to eat.

Awards were given out across 15 categories to a variety of employees at an awards ceremony in London with Malcolm Trussler named Outer Guard of the Year.

Awarding the prizes, Arthur Pretorius, the South West Trains-Network Rail Alliance director for customer service, said: “We have a great team of 2,500 employees working within the customer service department who are crucial to making the difference for passengers on our trains and at our stations day in, day out.”

Deborah Richards, chief executive of sponsor TPT Ltd station retailing said: “These teams work under a lot of pressure every day in challenging environments and it can be a thankless task so it’s fantastic that key players are recognised for the contribution they make.

“We salute all the winners and are very happy to support this programme”