A DUNKIRK spirit saw snowed-in Britons ditch their cars and turn to buses to ensure they made it into work last month, transport group Go-Ahead said yesterday.

The Newcastle-based firm, which carries about 1.6million bus passengers every day, saw a rise in travellers in January as people struggled into work.

But bad weather hit the firm’s Govia rail business, jointly owned with French transport group Keolis. Its Southeastern rail franchise came in for criticism in a report into the travel disruption after Go-Ahead ran only about half its normal service.

Neighbouring train operators such as Govia-owned Southern and Stagecoach’s South West Trains attempted to provide either a full or slightly reduced service.

But Go-Ahead said the snow had very little impact on revenues last month. It reported a 17 per cent drop in underlying pre-tax profits to £50m for the six months to January 2, although the firm said adjusted operating profits of £54.2m were better than expected. Its bus business showed resilience, with underlying earnings up 9.2 per cent as cash-strapped consumers opted for cheaper ways of travelling.

Earnings in the rail business, covering Southern, Southeastern and London Midland, plunged 43 per cent, but the group said it was seeing signs of a turnaround as economic conditions improve.