ANGRY commuters say they have been left shivering on trains with no heating in sub-zero conditions.

Passengers on the c2c line to Fenchurch Street have complained about the problem and the train operator has now admitted something has gone wrong with the heating as the temperatures have plunged.

Mark Williams, 38, from Leigh, has complained to c2c several times and said it has happened persistently in the past couple of weeks.

Mr Williams said three friends got on separate trains last Wednesday and all of them reported the same thing.

He added: “It’s absolutely diabolical.

“Every time I’ve got the train, I’ve never had heating in these freezing conditions.

“You wait in ice-cold conditions and then get on a train with no heating.

“At first, when I spoke to customer service they told me I’d just been unlucky.

“I personally think it’s outrageous they weren’t telling anyone about it.”

Clair Walford, 22, of Link Road, Canvey, has also complained about the conditions.

She said: “The train I got on had no heating, so it was freezing cold.”

A c2c spokesman said its engineers are still trying to identify the exact cause of the fault, which could be caused by the extreme weather recently.

Julian Drury, managing director of c2c, added: “Some of c2c’s electric trains have recently incurred damage to the system that controls the levels of on-train heating following last week’s extreme weather conditions. Some carriages are operating with reduced levels of heating.

“We are working urgently to fix this as a matter of priority.

“A repair programme is already under way to complete the work as quickly as possible.

“In the meantime, we are very sorry for any discomfort this may cause to our customers.”