A man paid £589 for a train from Bangor to London that didn't turn up
A rail company has faced criticism after a man paid more than £500 for a train that didn't turn up.
Drag performer Le Gateau Chocolat - real name George Ikediashi, was travelling from Bangor when his Avanti West Coast train back to London was cancelled two minutes after it was due.
He said the next train was also cancelled which meant the journey that should have taken five hours to complete, took ten hours.
Mr Ikedashi bought a £589 return 1st class ticket from London Euston station to Bangor for a performance he was doing over the weekend.
The ticket was meant to include a Christmas dinner but staff shortages meant this was not available happen.
His train from Bangor back to London was scheduled to arrive at 10.05am but at 10.07, he was informed of the cancellation.
According to the drag performer, the next train was also cancelled.
Mr Ikedashi voiced his frustrations on social media when he tweeted Avanti West Coast. He said. "£589 was the cost of your return 1st class ticket, @AvantiWestCoast.
"Yesterday, the driver announced there’d be no 1st class service on the 1610 from Euston to Bangor.
"This morning, you cancelled the 1005 train from Bangor to Euston at… 1007."
The performer wasn't the only one shocked by the service as many social media users tweeted their surprise.
One said, "WHERE ON EARTH is that money going?? Charging for the tickets… Taking the money… Cancelling services… Where is that money going??"
An Avanti employee then tweeted Mr Ikedashi:
"So sorry to hear that, if you were looking to take this further please submit your comments and tickets here and it'll be looked into for you."
The performer responded:
"Oh, at £589, I shouldn’t be the one looking to take it further, Mike. But sure, I will. Thanks.
"Merry Christmas and wintery Season’s Greetings @AventiWestCoast You’ve just cancelled the next train. Interesting that I can no longer tag you. Superlative service."
In a statement, Avanti West Coast said it has encouraged the customer to claim compensation.
“Over the last few months, our sole focus has been to do everything we can to return to a more resilient operation and deliver more services for our customers and communities.
“Crucially, our new timetable is based on a robust and sustainable roster for our people without reliance on overtime, and has been achieved by working with our people and the unions. It provides a better working pattern for staff and our customers will benefit from more trains and greater connectivity.”