WORKERS on South Western Railway have voted heavily in favour of striking in the dispute over the role of guards on trains.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union backed walkouts by 4-1 on a turnout of 76%.

The company only took over from South West Trains in August, running services to and from London Waterloo.

It is now the fifth rail operator to be embroiled in a dispute over the role of guards and driver-only trains.

The new ballot result followed claims by the RMT that SWR franchise holder First/MTR had failed to give "cast-iron assurances" over the future of guards on its trains.

Union general secretary Mick Cash said: "RMT has given repeated opportunities for First/MTR to give us the assurances we have sought over the future role of the guards on their trains throughout the length of the new South Western franchise.

"They have refused to give us those guarantees and it is that failure which left RMT with no option but to declare a formal dispute with the company and to conduct a ballot for action.

"Our members have now voted overwhelmingly for both strike action and action short of a strike and that massive mandate will now be considered by RMT's executive, who will decide the next steps."

A South Western Railway spokesman said: "We are disappointed that some of our staff have chosen to vote for industrial action.

"None of us want to be in this position and any potential action will cause unnecessary disruption for the customers we serve.

"We have been clear that we plan to retain a second person on our services, as we know that our passengers value the assurance and assistance a second member of on-board staff provides."