PYJAMA-CLAD families protested to show how the poor train service makes them miss out on putting their children to bed.

A crowd of 100 parents and children gathered at Lewes Railway Station last night in solidarity with workers stuck on trains who get home so late that their loved ones are already asleep.

The protest follows a two-day strike by the RMT union last week and the launch of a crowdfunding campaign by the Association of British Commuters to take the government to court over its handling of the Southern crisis.

Organiser Emily Clarke, 33-year-old teacher and mother-of-two, of Lewes, said: "We've got parents leaving in the morning before their children wake up and they get back after they are asleep.

"I’ve also heard of people losing their jobs as they can’t get in to work on time. The government has the power to strip Govia of the franchise – what on earth is stopping them?”

She attended with her sons Fin, 6 and Woody, 20 months, wearing matching pyjamas, and her husband Richard, a commuter.

From 6.15pm hot chocolate was passed around as the group listened to bedtime stories and sang songs on a bed in an event entitled 'Goodnight Govia'. Many stood with homemade banners airing their frustration at problems on the train network around a giant bed.

Charlie Dobres, 54, from Lewes, turned up in checked pyjama bottoms holding a teddy bear.said: "The last time I went to London it took me three and a half hours which is disgraceful and that's why I'm supporting the protest."

Seaford and Newhaven commuters continue to travel to Lewes by rail replacement buses after some train services were cancelled altogether. At one point 86 per cent of service was being run with buses - apart from peak services.

Another Lewes mother, Katie Kennedy, took part in the protest.

She said: "My husband works in London and is regularly home so late due to delays or cancellations that he doesn’t get to see our six-month-old awake. The delay repay scheme just can’t compensate for the hours and days we are losing as a family, it’s time we’ll never get back. Like many, commuting isn’t a lifestyle choice for us, it’s a necessity and we feel totally powerless. The government needs to renationalise the railways."

A Southern spokesman said: "We apologise to our passengers for the poor level of performance the have been experiencing since the start of the RMT union dispute.

"We have been working hard on the restoration of the normal timetable and following the reintroduction of 119 trains to the timetable last week, we will be reintroducing around a further 50 trains on Monday, September 19, with the remainder of the withdrawn trains going back into service in the coming weeks."

Yesterday the RMT also called for support in its dispute at the Trade Union Congress conference in Brighton to demand public ownership of the railways.