London's transport chief has launched an astonishing attack on Southeastern calling them "s***" and saying their services are like "the Wild West".

Sir Peter Hendy, Transport for London's commissioner, told Management Today that passengers hated their rail services and said Southeastern ticket inspectors were "like the Gestapo".

He said: "'On Southeastern  the trains are like the Wild West. 

"They are s***, awful. And then every now and then some people who look like the Gestapo get on and fine everyone they can. It doesn't improve your day, does it?"

He said: "People hate the suburban rail service, they hate it. If you make a mistake on your oyster card on the tube, we’ll refund it. On South West Trains, they’ll fine you. That’s a big philosophical difference."

Back in January, a passenger survey showed Southeastern had the lowest passenger satisfaction in the entire country

A spokesman for Southeastern said: "We are really proud of our frontline teams and the work they do every day helping hundreds of thousands of passengers.

"It is disappointing that Peter Hendy’s comments do not reflect their dedication and hard work."