Train firm c2c overcharges on London-Essex route

One passenger said "we should not have to take the time to make an application for a refund"

A train company has apologised for overcharging passengers since Saturday due to an issue with their ticketing system.

Trenitalia-owned c2c, which runs services between London Fenchurch Street and south Essex said an "error" led to incorrect fare data being loaded into the system.

Some tickets have been more expensive than they should have been.

The company said: "We apologise for any issues this has caused."

It urged passengers who had bought tickets since Saturday to check them, especially if they felt they had "unexpectedly increased in price".

People were being asked to contact its customer relations team for a refund.

'Totally unacceptable'

Customers' money was not being returned automatically.

Affected travellers took to social media to post examples of being overcharged, such as a return to London Fenchurch Street that normally costs £19.40 being £21.10, and one to West Ham that should have been £14.60 was £15.20 instead.

One Twitter user described the situation as "totally unacceptable", adding: "Bet it would be fixed already if prices had gone down!"

Another posted: "Overcharged again this morning - is c2c hoping people don't make refund applications and keep its customers' monies?

"This is your error. We should not have to take the time to make an application for a refund."

The problem with the system was expected to be resolved by Wednesday, c2c said.