Godalming's MP, Jeremy Hunt, has urged townspeople to wear face masks while travelling on public transport, citing figures that show only 75% or people using buses and trains locally are covering up.

But that figure has been disputed by train operator South Western Railway, which says its feedback from across the country shows that 97% of people are observing the new law on face coverings.

Mr Hunt said: "I am very worried to hear from residents that public transport operators are not enforcing the wearing of face coverings on trains and buses.

"The law is unambiguous; you must wear a face covering on all public transport unless you have a medical condition.

"I appreciate that transport operators want to avoid confrontations and difficult situations on the bus and trains, but public safety is at stake so I have raised my concerns with Stagecoach, South West Trains [sic] and the local Transport Police teams. They tell me that the compliance rate is around 75% which is not, frankly, good enough, but they do say action is being taken."

But South Western Railway told Nub News that its figures on compliance were different from those quoted by Mr Hunt.

A spokesperson said: "British Transport Police statistics show a 97% compliance rate on the wearing of face coverings across the UK. We want all our customers to travel safely and wear a face covering throughout their journey, however we recognise that some customers may be exempt.

"As a train operator we don't have the authority to enforce the wearing of face coverings, however British Transport Police are supporting us where needed.

"Our aim is to encourage our customers to wear face coverings on our trains and at our stations, unless they are exempt. We're doing this through posters, regular announcements and social media posts, and asking our colleagues to engage with our customers."

Nub News has approached Stagecoach for comment.