PASSENGERS on a crowded First Capital Connect train were left stranded for up to three hours last night after a power failure in North London.

Many passengers were reportedly left trapped with little air, no water and no communication after a power failure near Kentish Town left their train stuck in a tunnel.

The delay and subsequent “mistreatment” of passengers has prompted County Councillor Chris White to call for those on FCC’s board to be sacked and the franchise to be passed to a more deserving company.

Cllr White says he has written to the Transport Minister Norman Baker calling for an investigation into the breakdown in service.

He said: “We are well used to the contempt that First Group shows to its commuters but this was exceptional even by their shoddy standards.

“It is not sufficient for this dreadful company to conduct its own internal investigation which will no doubt give rise to belated apologies and derisory compensation. The people in charge last night should be sacked.

“In view of the constant failings the Government should now consider dismissing the board or transferring the franchise to a company which will remember that there are things other than profit.”

FCC say they will hold a full investigation to prevent a similar situation reoccurring.

A spokesperson from FCC said: “We’d like to sincerely apologise to any customers who experienced delays on Thursday evening.

“Any customers who experienced delays should contact a customer relations advisor or visit our website for information on how to claim their compensation.”

He added: “We made every effort to keep customers updated and our Twitter manager was busy talking directly to customers affected. Our customer’s safety was our no.1 priority throughout the disruption. Once again, we apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

Were you affected by the power failure on the trains last night? If you have a story to tell, get in touch with the Herts Advertiser at hertsad@archant.co.uk