Staff at Surbiton station told passengers they have no first aid training and asked what they should do when an elderly man collapsed on a packed train.

Commuter Joe Martin was on the 6.32pm from Waterloo which, passed through Surbiton, when the man became ill.

He said he and fellow passengers were "packed in like sardines" on January 13, before the man collapsed twice into Mr Martin's arms and someone alerted the driver.

As the train pulled into Surbiton the unconscious man was laid on the floor, he said.

Mr Martin said: "It was at this point that station and train staff for South West Trains started asking us what to do.

"We had no idea and they informed us that they were not first aid-trained and that they didn't know either."

A spokeswoman for South West Trains said employees have medical awareness training which advises them to call 999 in an emergency, and to make an announcement to see if a medical professional is on board or at the station.

She added: "Our train and station staff are not medical professionals. However there have been many occasions over recent years when our staff have stepped in to help passengers, in some cases saving lives.

"We are very proud of our staff who play an important role in helping in this way."

Mr Martin said: "This story has a happy ending and I'm sure the gentleman made a full recovery.

"But to have no first aid-trained staff on a platform or on a train where overcrowding is a serious issue even in winter is a gross oversight, especially considering there have been several accidents and one fatality at the station in the last 12 months."