London's deputy mayor for transport Val Shawcross avoids early starts because she relies on Southern trains to get into the office, emails have revealed.

The revelation was made in an email from her office when trying to set up a meeting which said: "Val actually is a morning person but has to use Southern trains to get in to the office so we try not to have too many early starts."

The email suggested that "after 10am would be best" for a meeting between Ms Shawcross and Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association (LTDA) to discuss ride-hailing app Uber.

The train operator - which runs services from London to destinations in Kent, Sussex and Hampshire - has been hit with industrial action, causing huge problems for commuters and other travellers.

In July, the company was ordered to pay for a £13.4 million package of improvements after Transport Secretary Chris Grayling decided that industrial action does not fully explain the operator's poor performance.