EDUCATORS have complained of discrimination as dozens of their students miss out on cut-price rail fares.

Staff at Furness College said they will approach train company Northern Rail after they were omitted from a season ticket scheme.

This snub means students travelling to and from the college by rail could be forced to pay hundreds of pounds more per year to travel.

Deputy principal at the college, Mark Nicholson, said: "What we plan to do is approach Northern Rail and ask them to consider Furness College. It would appear that they have allowed individual schools to negotiate their own deal.

"I don't like the fact that our school is being discriminated against. It seems that is the deal for those who want to travel by rail. It is our responsibility to try and help them."

There are fears high rail prices will hit students from lower-income families, dissuading them from attending Furness College, or even pursuing any kind of further education.

Mr Nicholson said: "We're really interested that students are able to make their academic choices based on their career aspirations. A level playing field is really important."

Sharon Keith, regional director for Northern Rail, said: "The discounts for 16 to 18-year-olds on the Furness and Lakes lines are currently being offered on a trial basis. We will monitor the demand during the trial period and use the information we gather to inform future decisions for the school year 2017/18 and beyond.

"During this period we will continue to liaise and work with educational establishments and our colleagues in the rail industry to work towards providing the best possible value for our customers."

Barrow borough councillor Brendan Sweeney was scathing when he learned Furness College was not included in the scheme. He said: "This is totally unacceptable. It is incompetent not knowing where your market is."

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