CONCERNED residents in Woodford Green have joined calls for Transport for London (TfL) to clean up the borough's subways and improve access to its stations.

Last month the Guardian reported on a campaign launched by households and a councillor in South Woodford to get the transport body to invest in the "run-down" underpass beneath the area's tube station.

Now, down the line at Woodford station, families have echoed campaigners' concerns, saying their subway is also blighted by rubbish, poor lighting and fear of crime.

Residents are also perplexed why an access gate on the Snakes Lane East side of the platform shuts everynight at 9pm, limiting entry for disabled people, while similar gates at stops such as at Roding Valley station remain open late into the night.

Resident Maxine James, 54, said: "It affects all of us, and it would make such a difference if the gate was open and they had somewhere there.

"I don't know why they can't do it, the other platform often has three members of staff working there so why not our side? If you're in a wheelchair you can only enter and exit by calling an alarm, but most people don't realise it's there.

"The subway is also potentially unsafe and I know many people are afraid to go down there at night. A few years ago a man was mugged and it turned out the CCTV camera didn't have any film in it.

"Some assurances of how often they check it, and some more lighting, would make such a difference."

Fellow resident Anne Spacey agreed.

She said: "It's not very good to have the gate locked almost all the time.

"And if I come back late at night on my own I always get a cab even though I live very close by. We need to make sure CCTV is working so that if something does go wrong they can catch the people that did it."

TfL are expected to comment shortly.