RAIL passenger groups and those protesting against the new Tesco store have reacted angrily to the chaos in the aftermath of Thursday's tunnel collapse.

Reg Whittome, chairman of both the Marylebone Travellers' Association and the Chiltern Railway Passenger Board, slammed the controversial development, which was bitterly opposed by residents in Gerrards Cross.

He said: "We always feared something like this might happen, but not something quite so disastrous.

"The whole thing has been an absolute disaster and now the message from Chiltern Railways is that we won't have a train service for quite a few weeks."

Mr Whittome said the collapse now raised "a huge question as to the feasibility of the whole project".

"If one part of the tunnel can collapse, one wonders how safe the rest of it is," he said.

"If it happened while there was nothing on top whose to say if won't happen again once there's a supermarket."

South Bucks District Council, which has always opposed the Tesco plan, was furious.

Peter Hardy, council leader, said: "We must be grateful that there was no loss of life, but that is no thanks to Tesco or to the contractors Jacksons.

"This really could have been a major disaster.

"As it is, there will be considerable disruption and inconvenience to passengers and commuters within the district and beyond for days."

With commuters facing weeks of delays, Mr Whittome, of Gerrards Cross, urged a quick and thorough investigation.

He said: "I am very depressed at the fact that what was a pretty good train service is now no service at all and will remain that way for several weeks."

Jo DeBank, from the London Transport Users Committee the official passenger watchdog for London and its surrounding area said it would be understandable if passengers were worried about the future safety of the tunnel.

"I am confident that safety experts will carry out a full and thorough investigation.

"But it's very important that as soon as it is completed, people know exactly how it happened to ensure it never happens again," she said.