PLANNED cuts to Swindon rail services will force commuters on to clogged roads, an MP has said.

South Swindon MP Anne Snelgrove told MPs that the town needs its train links to remain viable.

She was speaking in a Commons debate which saw MPs from all the major parties attack the Government for allowing Swindon transport giant First Great Western to slash services in the west.

Pressure group Transport 2000 has warned Swindon is one of the worst urban areas hit by cuts in First Great Western's draft timetable, due to be introduced in December.

The timetable will see the scrapping of the two-hourly Swindon to Southampton service, via Melksham.

It will be replaced with only two return services each day between Swindon and Westbury.

This will mean Swindon will no longer serve a crucial interchange between the Midlands and the South Coast and will mean fewer services from Swindon to outlying Wiltshire towns and villages.

Mrs Snelgrove warned this will have a major impact on commuters travelling to and from the town for work.

She said: "The issue for me is the number of people from rural communities, such as Chippenham, Melksham and other towns in Wiltshire who will be travelling in by car if train services are cut.

"The Swindon-Southampton service, for example, is threatened with cuts.

"We need people to come in by train and not by car for our urban areas to remain viable."

The cuts follow radical changes to the Government's list of "specified routes."

These are loss-making routes currently supported in the south west by a £60m government subsidy.

First Great Western was awarded the lucrative Greater Western franchise by the Government in December.

Trains Minister Derek Twigg refused to make any commitments to save the services under threat, insisting the new franchise would deliver a better service.

He said: "I understand most members are here today because they are not happy with various things, but we must consider the bigger picture.

"It is important to remember that these are good times for the railways.

"A record amount is being spent £87m each week.

It is worth emphasising that First Group has committed itself to £220m investment over the first three years of the franchise in return to run it, and that will deliver a range of benefits to passengers."