A JOYOUS train announcer will continue to make passengers lives more positive after it was rumoured he was banned from reading poetry.

Tony Knight, who is well-known at Wokingham Train Station for welcoming commuters and trains by reading poetry over the loudspeaker.

A frequent train passenger, James Melville, created an online petition which reached in its thousands to allow Tony to continue reading his poetry.

However, the station which is run by South Western Railway have said they have not issued instructions for Tony to not read his poetry.

A South Western Railway spokesman said: “We expect all of our staff to prioritise providing accurate and timely information to passengers.

"If they can add a little extra colour and personality to improve the passenger experience then we are very happy for them to do so.”

Tony would often make boring commutes more positive by giving trains who were late a cheeky telling off or by reading poems.

Simone Tedesco, a train passenger from Wokingham said: "Tony is a refreshing, uplifting & delightful addition to the people of Wokingham and helps start so many peoples days off with a smile. Who can deny this?"

In the petitions statement, Mr Melville said: "He has welcomed trains, read poems and told off those naughty trains that are a little late!

“His approach has brought joy and lightened the mood of what can be an otherwise boring commute.

“It has also brought positive press to our town appearing on the BBC as well as local press.

At the time of writing, 5,785 people had signed the petition.