Rail union members held a protest over a recommendation to shut down hundreds of railway station ticket offices across the country.

Among the ticket offices on the hit list is the one at Yatton station, on the line between Bristol and Weston-super-Mare, and one at Weston-super-Mare station.

Members of the Rail Maritime and Transport union demonstrated over the plans at Bristol Temple Meads station yesterday and handed leaflets to commuters.

Yatton and Weston-super-Mare ticket offices are among 30 in the Western region which could close or have their opening hours slashed if the Government follows recommendations made in Sir Roy McNulty’s independent report into cost savings on the British railways.

His report recommends shutting ticket offices at the 675 small “Category E” stations and replacing them with ticket machines.

It found that although the majority of ticket sales at these stations take place between 7am and 10am, many ticket offices are open for an average of ten hours a day on weekdays.

The plans have alarmed passengers who would be left having to buy tickets from vending machines, which do not always offer the cheapest fare available.

The hit list of stations was included in the McNulty report, which was presented to Philip Hammond, the then Transport Secretary, in May.

Closing ticket offices at little-used stations was part of a package of measures aimed at cutting £1 billion a year from the industry's running costs.

Many of the stations in the Bristol area are either too big, such as Temple Meads and Parkway, or too small, such as Lawrence Hill and Montpelier, to be affected by the recommendations.

The recommendations have already been criticised by consumer watchdog Passenger Focus and the Transport and Salaried Staffs Association.

The Department for Transport says it is considering the findings of the McNulty as part of a Government review.

Among the protesters yesterday was the union’s president Alex Gordon.

“The McNulty report suggests closing one third of ticket offices,” said Mr Gordon. “And we are not just talking about tiny places, some of them are busy conurbations.”

Gary Abbott, spokesman for the Bristol branch of the RMT, said: “The protest is about the McNulty report and the consequences.

“It’s important that people realise that we are working to defend our public transport service.

“The public wants to see staff in stations, not empty stations. McNulty also wants to do away with guards, and says there should only be drivers on trains. But guards are needed.”