TRAIN passengers face fresh misery from the end of the month as a ban on overtime by drivers comes into force.

The move by the drivers union Aslef comes as Southern Rail revealed it had offered employees a four-year pay deal worth 23.8 per cent.

The ban will begin on June 29 and is expected to badly disrupt services.

Aslef and the Rail, Maritime and Transport union are embroiled in long-running disputes with Southern over staffing and driver-only trains (DOO) which have sparked a series of strikes and other forms of industrial action for more than a year.

Proposed agreements between Southern and Aslef's leaders have twice been rejected by the union's members.

A spokesman for GTR said: "We've made a very generous offer that in four years would take a driver's base salary to £60,683 for the existing 35-hour, four-day week, so we find this threat of an overtime ban surprising and extremely disappointing." 

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said: "We have been talking to the company over the last fortnight, in parallel, but separate, talks about drivers' terms and conditions, industrial relations and pay.

"The company's failure to engage over DOO is the reason our members will no longer work overtime, which, of course, is entirely voluntary, from June 29.

"We would much rather talk, and negotiate, around a table, than take industrial action."

Mr Whelan said the pay offer was months behind schedule but the company had refused to negotiate until now.