A petition has been launched to save Hatfield railway station's ticket office after plans to close almost all sites across Hertfordshire were announced.

The proposed closures have been announced by the Rail Delivery Group, which represents the railway companies, would see ticket offices closed within the next three years, after it was found nine out 10 tickets were purchased online or from ticket machines in stations.

Hatfield's is among those set to go, and a petition which already has more than 650 signatures has been launched to save it.

Started by Rody Ribeiro, the petiton states: "We strongly oppose the proposed closure of the Hatfield Station ticket office.

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"The closure would impact the ability to buy tickets, plan future journeys, receive advice and assistance and navigate the station.

"Closing the Hatfield Station ticket office will force passengers to purchase tickets through online booking or at ticket vending machines, and many passengers will find this detrimental to their needs, including those who are elderly, disabled or have visual impairments."

As part of the plans, staff at railway stations will be able to provide assistance available during same hours as current ticket office opening hours, or in Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City's case, during extended opening hours, compared to current ticket office opening hours.

The petition argues that a "crucial point of contact would be lost" if the ticket office were to go, continuing: "Having staff at a central identified ticket office provides passengers with confidence to know where to go to access assistance, information and advice.

"If staffing levels were reduced or existing ticket staff redeployed to multifunctional roles, this crucial point of contact would be lost.

READ MORE: Plans confirmed for rail ticket office closures in Herts

"Multifunctional staff may be beyond the ticket barrier, and therefore, passengers would need to buy a ticket to access the service they require."

The proposed plans would need to be signed-off by the Government, with the petition to save Hatfield's ticket office to be sent to the secretary of state for transport, Mark Harper.

A stand to protest the plans will be set up outside Hatfield railway station on Tuesday, with Welwyn Hatfield MP Grant Shapps invited to join them.

To view the petition, visit petitions.eko.org/petitions/save-hatfield-station-s-ticket-office.