MOBILE phone app which aims to help commuters claim refunds for delayed trains has attracted thousands of downloads in its first month.

Train Refunds, which was devised by north Essex pair Gavin Davies and Mark Mainwood, went live on Monday, January 20 and has already been downloaded more than 5,000 times.

The pair have also processed 2,500 applications for refunds as a result of commuters being delayed and commuters have claimed over £12,000 in delay repay refunds.

Mr Davies, who commutes from Witham to London every day, said: “There has been an amazing response since the launch.

“The numbers are really starting to come in and it seems to be going from strength to strength.”

The free app sends the registered season ticket holder a notification when they are entitled to either a part or full refund, by tracking which journey is being taken.

It uses live timetable information to determine how late a specific train is. The app even completes the paperwork for each refund application for a one-off fee of 69p.

It is available on iphone and Android.

The pair plan to develop a version for Blackberry.