A CRITICAL report highlights the problem of severe overcrowding on some Weymouth to Bristol trains.

Volunteers spent the summer monitoring stations along the line.

Packed carriages with some passengers standing for an hour or more combined with frequently late and cancelled trains has led to a public perception of service meltdown' which has been damaging for the line, the report suggests.

Although primarily compiled as a survey to observe the issue of supply and demand for the Weymouth day trip market,' the report also highlights problems of dirty trains, poor information at unmanned stations and conductors unable to collect tickets because of packed carriages.

Two passengers were even injured trying to board one particularly packed train.

The Overcrowding Watch' report was compiled by the Heart of Wessex Rail Partnership, a collection of local authorities which aim to promote the railway, improve information about the line and encourage rail travel.

Reports of chronic overcrowding on trains throughout the summer of 2006 sparked the investigation, which had the support of train operator First Great Western.

Volunteers from the partnership's Community Rail Working Party observed 240 key morning and afternoon services between April and September. Their findings indicate the overcrowding problem was not as bad as the previous summer - suggesting First Great Western has made moves to tackle the issue by providing extra carriages - but a number of concerns are highlighted. They include: n Extremely serious problems' recorded in April, highlighting the need to supply more capacity from an early stage in the season n Less than half the trains observed ran on time, and about a fifth were delayed by 10 minutes or more n A high level of cancellations through the summer.

First Great Western's general manager for the West of England Julian Crow said: "As the report notes, only certain trains at certain times of the day suffer from overcrowding.

"We will take this information into account when compiling our summer timetable next year. Extra capacity will be provided."