A SENIOR Government minister has guaranteed further investment to sort out the south’s road network if the Conservatives are voted into power.

Transport Minister Patrick McLoughlin stepped off the train at Eastleigh railway station to give his backing to Conservative parliamentary candidate Mims Davies.

He told the Daily Echo that under a Conservative Government there was a commitment to spend £15 billion in five years on roads, which he said would include the south.

On a walkabout along Market Street Mr McLoughlin met and spoke with members of the public and heard their concerns about transport issues affecting them.

Issues raised included recent problems with gridlock when there was a problem on the motorways and the borough’s air pollution levels, to which Mr McLoughlin said improved infrastructure was the key.

A Daily Echo investigation has found that passengers in the south are paying to subsidise other networks in other parts of the country and operator South West Trains has demanded urgent investment from the Government.

Mr McLoughlin said the Government was spending £38 billion on the existing rail network and that improvements at Waterloo and Reading stations would have a knock-on impact in the area, such as changes to platforms to increase capacity on trains.

“I’m very proud about how much we have committed given the economic situation we have found ourselves in,” he added.

Ms Davies said transport was one of her key issues.

“It affects families, school runs, business, people getting to things on time,” she said.

“If we want this area to survive and thrive... Eastleigh has to seek improvements to its infrastructure.”

However, the visit was gatecrashed by a small number of people protesting holding UKIP banners, including Eastleigh Hampshire County Councillor Andy Moore.

Cllr Moore defended UKIP’s actions, saying it had been a chance encounter as they were handing over sign boards to someone parked at the station.

“We weren’t being disruptive, we were just showing our presence,” he added.

Other parties gave their position on transport improvements they would push for to help get people in the borough moving.

Eastleigh UKIP hopeful Patricia Culligan said she wanted to see a Chickenhall bypass, for develop-ments to be on brownfield sites with infrastructure in place before building work starts and more power to local people to decide where developments are appropriate, including local referendums.

Mike Thornton, the Liberal Democrat candidate, said he advocated improving public transport, looking at capacity on the railways and building bypasses at Chickenhall Lane and Botley to take the pressure off the roads.

He said he had been speaking to the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership about funding towards the two bypasses.

He said the Liberal Democrats were proposing 16 to 25-year-olds get two thirds off bus fares to revitalise the buses, and work to ensure disabled people had access to public transport and encourage cycling.

Mark Latham, Labour party candidate, said the Conservatives were putting out “uncosted commitments”.

He said Labour would cap rail fares, review the franchising process and create a national body to oversee and plan for the railways to provide alternatives to car dependency.

As MP he said he would push for developer contributions to go towards community infrastructure projects, safer cycle routes and the party would devolve transport decisions down to local level.

Green party candidate Ron Meldrum and Wessex Regionalist candidate Colin Bex were unavailable for comment.