GREAT Western Link has said it is committed to improving the safety of Marlow Railway Station after a national report claimed more passengers felt unsafe at small stations across the country.

The National Audit Office said in a report on Wednesday that small stations were regarded as unsatisfactory for levels of personal safety.

This comes about because of the low levels of staffing at many small stations, where environment, state of repair and cleanliness are not highly regarded.

But Great Western said it was doing all it could to improve levels of safety at Marlow, and that "the reality" was based on the fear of crime rather than actual incidents.

A spokesman said: "We are committed to improving safety as far as we possibly can and we take on board customer comments we get.

"In reality there is very little danger on the railways and one way we are reducing the perception of crime is to improve the decorative standard.

"We are working towards secure station status for all of our stations."

Great Western, which is responsible for the upkeep of Marlow, Cookham and Bourne End stations, has not yet bowed to calls by Marlow Town Council for CCTV.

Meanwhile, Cookham has received secure station status for two years running.

Nigel Hunt, for the Marlow-to-Maidenhead Passenger Association, said it was possibly the layout of Marlow which could make people feel unsafe.

He said: "Marlow probably has more problems than some because it is not as open as Bourne End or Cookham.

"It is hard to justify on economic grounds to staff Marlow Station, they would have to build a completely secure building."

The report follows a survey of 120 stations across the country.