The county's tourism industry could be seriously affected if Central Trains fail to introduce better services, East Lindsey district councillors say.

Councillors who met with Central Trains officials on Monday were told that no extra money was available for new rolling stock.

The county officials say chronic overcrowding on the lines from Nottingham to Skegness on the county's coast are driving tourists away.

'Penned in'

The council is preparing to bid for money from the Strategic Rail Authority to improve services to the coast, said Councillor Giles Crust.

"We are making the bid for more money because of the complaints about lack of seats at peak times and the damage it could be doing to the Skegness tourism industry, "Mr Crust said.

"Nothing was happening for some time, but now we are driving people into a corner and they know we mean business."

The Strategic Rail Authority offers fast-track grants of �250,000 for special projects.

Some passengers at Grantham station were not pleased with the service: "We need more carriages, and more luggage space would be nice," said one.

"The seats are cramped and you are penned in," another passenger said.

Central Trains has defended the service, saying it has added extra carriages this summer to meet the increased demand.