Redcar British Steel station 'least used' in Britain

A rail station near a former steel works has been named as Britain's least used.

Only 40 passengers used Redcar British Steel station in 2017-18, according to Office of Rail and Road figures.

The nearby SSI steel plant in North Yorkshire shut in 2015, leading to a drop in demand for the railway station.

Last year's least used station, Barry Links in Angus, Scotland, dropped to second after seeing its numbers double to 52.

Four Northern trains stop at the British Steel Redcar station each day between Monday and Saturday, but there are none on Sundays.

According to the National Rail Enquiries website, the station has no ticket machines, no waiting room, no toilet facilities and no step-free access.

The other three railway stations in Britain with fewer than 100 entries and exits in the past year were Denton, Greater Manchester, with 70, Durham Tees Valley Airport near Yarm with 74 and Stanlow and Thornton, Cheshire, with 92.

Many stations are kept open despite being rarely used because it is easier to arrange for a train to stop infrequently than obtain permission to close a station.

Rail enthusiasts often visit the least used station from the previous year to boost its passenger numbers.

London Waterloo was confirmed as Britain's busiest station for the 15th consecutive year with 94.4 million passengers.

Birmingham New Street was the busiest station outside London, in sixth place with 43.7 million passengers.

Glasgow Central retained its position as Scotland's most used station, with 32.9 million passengers putting it at number 11 in the overall ranking.

The busiest station in Wales was Cardiff Central with 13 million entries and exits.