A TEESSIDE MP has taken up the cause of two pensioners left in "a scrum" of a thousand people outside a closed railway station during what he describes as "chaotic delays" during the holiday period.

Tom Blenkinsop, Labour MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, brought up the case of Guisborough couple Guy Coulthard and his wife Vivienne, both 70.

The couple were left outside the gates of a small station at Finsbury Park in London with about 2,000 others when all services between Teesside and Kings Cross were closed.

Mr Blenkinsop brought the issue up in the House of Commons saying the closure of a major train service was unacceptable.

He said: "I do have to say that the cause of the problem did not lie with East Coast Trains but with Network Rail who manage the tracks and signalling.

“That being said, the response from East Coast Trains does, on the face of it, look to be poor. Funnelling everything into a small suburban station at Finsbury Park was clearly inadequate.

“ I think we need to know when Network Rail first knew there would be a repairs overrun and when they first told East Coast Trains and the other rail operators using Kings Cross.

“A third question is why the Department For Transport could not order East Coast Trains tickets to be become valid on services from the neighbouring St Pancras Station on services that run to and from there to Sheffield and Leeds and from where connecting Cross Country and Trans-Pennine trains could be got to take people to and from Teesside, Darlington and Newcastle."

In the House of Commons, transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said he was investigating and added: "I do not think the contingency arrangements were worked out satisfactorily."

Pensioner Guy Coulthard explained his son eventually picked up him and his wife and drove them home and he was given a refund for the ticket. However he said there were other very elderly people and disabled people in what he described as "a scrum" and the situation had been "worrying," with fears there would be a rush when the gates were opened.

A spokesman for Network Rail explained that a major investigation has been held and a report is due to be published next week. The company will comment on lessons learned at that time.

A spokesman for East Coast Trains said the company had been in touch with Mr Blenkinsop's office and given a detailed explanation of the practical reasons why opening Finsbury Park train station was the only realistic option.