A newsagent who has served Kingston station for years will be evicted next week, as work has begun on a revamp which traders hope will give the town an arrival point it can be proud of.

South West Trains (SWT) said the station will have a larger entrance, less queues, more space and four new shops.

But as part of the revamp, a family newsagent which has been at the station for the best part of two decades will be evicted on October 16 after spending nearly a year on two weeks’ notice.

Vishal Patel, of M ‘N’ V Newsagents, said: “It is going to be a hard time. My dad has been there nearly 20 years and where is he going to go?

“He has asked for some more time so he can sort something out.

“I’m not questioning the contract but it is too quick. They could have given us more time. We will lose quite a lot of money with unsold stock.”

The newsagent has asked for up until the end of December, starting a petition with commuters and customers, but been rebuffed by SWT.

An SWT spokesman said: “In this case, the tenant has been aware for some time that their contract would be coming to an end. We have treated them very fairly and unfortunately we're not in a position to negotiate any further as work on this project is now due to begin.”

The ticket gateline at the station will also be re-positioned to help reduce congestion at peak times and provide more space for customers.

The four shops in the station will be refurbished with new shops introduced. Marks and Spencer was rumoured to be one of them, but said this week it had no plans to move in.

Town centre manager Graham McNally was underwhelmed by the station when he arrived for his job interview in 2001. He said: “In fairness to SWT and the rail-owning companies they have made improvements but it is a sad reflection on a town centre and a university town the size of Kingston.

“I absolutely hope this will better reflect on Kingston.”

He said he hoped that there would be further work in the future including the possibility of an exit off the platform on the other side of the bridge.

Last year two passenger lifts were fitted as part of a £2.1m project to end its status as a “no-go” area for disabled people.

The SWT spokesman said: “The refurbishment work being carried out at Kingston will ensure a more pleasant environment for customers as a result of better lighting, an improved movement flow for passengers, and a vast improvement to the overall appearance of the station.”

Should Mr Patel stay? Have your say at surreycomet.co.uk