Alfreton Town Council has vowed to keep fighting for the town after government transport bosses supported cuts to its rail service.

The council said it wrote to Grant Shapps, secretary of state for transport, following a vote of no confidence in East Midlands Railway at its July meeting.

The vote was passed after it emerged that the company had cut 35 per cent of their trains through the town

Members heard that trains provided by East Midlands Railway would not be running beyond Sheffield on a Sunday and that the cuts were likely to last until December.

Council leader Scott Walker said it was alarming that the station was suffering more cuts just weeks after the withdrawal of the town’s London services, which he said had a real impact on key workers, commuters, students and leisure passengers.

The town council wrote to the secretary of state for transport and Local MPs asking for the services to be reinstated and calling for the 08:11 am service to be restored immediately.

However, a council spokesperson said it was disappointing to receive a ‘generic reply’ informing them of the department’s decision to support the reduction in service.

The council said it remains committed to fighting hard for the town, even when faced with ‘little interest’ from other elected officials.