A minister claimed on Wednesday that future rises in train fares could be scrapped following a back-lash from angry commuters who have suffered an average increase of 3.9 per cent in their travel costs, rising to 10 per cent in some parts of the country.

Norman Baker, the Lib-Dem Rail Minister, has said the government wants to put a stop to above-inflation price increases in the rail industry, and admitted that the system is "not ideal".

However, he has also come under fire for saying that UK rail fares are "not as expensive as is being presented", saying that once off-peak and early bird fares are taken into consideration, the current system is less costly than it first appears.

The news come as figures revealed that in some places commuters have seen a 50% increase or even higher over the past 10 years.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4, Baker said: "We want to end the era of above-inflation rises as soon as we possibly can, and we're working towards that.

"I'm engaged in the fares and ticketing review [...] which will aim to make fares more transparent and simpler for the passenger. I think in an ideal world we wouldn't be having fare increases above inflation. We've inherited a policy from the last government - the only difference between us and them is that we've embarked on the biggest investment programme since the 19th Century."

"It's not ideal - there are over 100,000 rail tickets and different prices each year to deal with. It's a hugely complicated issue.

"So it's important we try to get the best value for the passenger, the best value for the taxpayer and the simplest, transparent system we can, given the need to ensure rail companies can price appropriately to attract people on to off-peak trains, which might otherwise be running empty."

The routes with the highest annual increase include the Ramsgate to London, which rose 6.46%, the Folkestone to London up 5.98%, and Canterbury to London, up 5.9%.

The Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) has described the increases as having an "appalling" impact on commuters.

The organisation has reported that fares in the UK are the highest in Europe, with some costing as much as 10 times that charged in mainland Europe.

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