SOARING rail fares may force young Basildon commuters out of the borough, a Labour parliamentary hopeful warned.

Gavin Callaghan, Labour councillor for Pitsea North West, and the party’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Basildon and Billericay, said the cost of commuting was rising faster than wages.

As a result it was forcing lower-paid commuters to consider if they might be better off moving way to avoid commuting.

Fares for both Greater Anglia and c2c have risen by 3.1 per cent putting up the cost of a standard season ticket from Billericay to London Liverpool Street by £129, to £4,160.

A similar c2c ticket from Basildon to London Fenchurch Street has increased by more than £80, to £2,620, while overall, the average cost of a season ticket to London has risen by 20 per cent since May 2010.

Mr Callaghan said: “This isn’t right and Basildon cannot afford to lose generations of talent, with our young people leaving the borough because they can’t afford their rail fares.

“Thousands of rail passengers will not see their wages increase in 2014 by as much, meaning it will be another tough financial year for them and their families.”